Skype coaching session, 10 April 2016. 

The game this week was played by Colin Crouch. He has a blog: "Introduction - Colin Crouch - shakthinking", at the following address: 

https://sites.google.com/site/shakthinking/introduction 

where he has analysed a number of his own chess games as well as some games by Grand Masters. Well worth a visit. 

Recordings of some previous coaching sessions can be found at: 

http://www.open-aurec.com/Skype/PaulBenson/PaulBenson.htm 

The following game was examined, the game 38 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

* * * 

Annotated game. 

White: Colin Crouch, 2407. 
Black: Simon Warman, 2128. 
Event: Ron Banwell Masters 2001. 
Result: 1-0 in 38 moves. 
Opening: Old Benoni, A43. 

1. d4 c5 
2. d5 d6 
3. c4 g6 
4. Nc3 Bg7 
5. e4 Nf6 
6. h3 

| Instead, 6. Nf3 Bg4, and black has the option to exchange off a knight which can influence central play. || 

6. ... O-O 
7. Nf3 Na6 

| The start of a plan to achieve, pawn b5, taking queenside space which will be necessary for black to achieve any play. || 

8. Bd3 e6 
9. O-O exd5 
10. cxd5 Nc7 

| A double purpose move. The black knight places some pressure on the white d5 pawn and supports the, pawn b5, queenside activity. || 

11. a4 a6 

| Black takes a chance that white will allow the advance of the b7 pawn. To be absolutely certain this can be achieved without black being left without an isolated a-pawn, then black needs to play, pawn b6, followed by, pawn a6, and only then can, pawn b5 be certain. || 

12. Bg5 

| Instead, 12. a5, so that any advance with the black b7 pawn will lead to an en passant capture and an isolated black a-pawn is another plan. || 

12. ... Rb8 
13. Qd2 b5 

| Black achieves the desired queenside expansion. Take some time here to find the white counter. || 

14. e5 

| As any decent book on the middlegame will tell you: An advance on a wing should be countered with play in the centre. The resulting middlegame following the white thrust will soon offer opportunities for complex interplay with the pieces. || 

14. ... dxe5 
15. Nxe5 Bb7 

| Black guards the potential knight fork on the c6 square. While the threat will now not win material, both players must also be calculating the gains or otherwise of white playing, Nc6, to force black to trade, Bxc6, gaining the bishop pair. || 

16. axb5 axb5 
17. Ra7 

| While not creating any direct threats, this rook lift does increase the tension. Black now needs to be more careful than white. || 

17. ... Qd6 

| Escaping from the white g5 bishop pin on the black f6 knight, though the escape from aggravation for the black queen is only going to be temporary. Black is also keeping the tension in the centre rather than immediately trying to win the white d5 pawn, which will surely activate the white pieces. If, 17. ... Ncxd5 18. Bxb5, regains the pawn and the black pieces seem awkwardly placed. || 

18. Nc6 Nfxd5 

| Instead, 18. ... Bxc6 19. Bf4, and the tactics favour white. There is a win of the black c7 knight with gain of tempo, which then allows white to capture the black c6 bishop a move later and so win a piece. For instance if, 19. ... Qd7 20. Rxc7 Qd8 21. Rxc6, or, 19. ... Qd8 20. Bxc7 Qc8 21. dxc6, though white can also think about, 21. Bxb8, winning an exchange. 

Now black has a sacrifice of the queen's rook in mind, though perhaps not of the type observed in recent coaching sessions. In this game black will not gain the white g2 fianchetto bishop in compensation, nor will there be central pawn activity for black. Perhaps this is more of a loss of an exchange rather than a positional sacrifice. || 

19. Nxb8 Rxb8 

| White to play and begin to take control in the centre, think about the uncomfortable position of the black queen if inspiration is not forthcoming. || 

20. Be4 

| The tactical tension is rising. The black b7 bishop is feeling uncomfortable as there are possibilities of white playing, Rxb7, to be considered on each move. The unprotected black queen is also now endangered by the x-ray attack up the d-file. || 

20. ... Bd4 

| The d-file is blocked and so reduces the pressure on the black d5 knight. The price for closing the d-file is the absence and potential elimination of the black g7 bishop from the important fianchetto square. || 

21. Ne2 

| Simple chess. Black blocks the d-file with a bishop so white tries to remove it and in the process black will be without a g7 fianchetto bishop. In time this trade will come back to haunt black. || 

21. ... Qb6 

| Yet again the black queen correctly feels the need to escape the discomfort an an x-ray attack. White to play and find the most instructive move this game will offer us. || 

22. Raa1 

| Demonstrating that un-developing a piece must be kept in mind at all times. The white rook will be better placed on the white first rank, in particular the d1 square, where it can influence the centre while being out of the way of any central black piece activity. Instead the knee-jerk doubling of rooks with, 22. Rfa1, gains nothing tangible. The advanced a7 rook has little chance of activity across the 7th rank and invasion on the a8 square will lose a rook since black has that threat defended twice. || 

22. ... Ne6 
23. Nxd4 Nxd4 

| Instead, 23. Nxg5 24. Qxg5 cxd4, unnecessarily removes another pair of minor pieces, not advisable when an exchange down. || 

24. Rad1 Qe6 

| Black decides to over-protect the d5 knight, perhaps a sign that white has neutralised the activity following the exchange sacrifice / loss. Unfortunately this places the black queen back where she is most vulnerable, that is sitting on a fully open file when the opponent has the f1 rook patiently awaiting centralisation. || 

25. Rfe1 f5 

| Forcing the white e4 bishop to make a choice, trade on the d5 knight and give the black b7 bishop light square freedom, or retreat and leave future options for this piece open. || 

26. Bb1 Qc6 

| It must be a tradition or something. Black sets up a mate on the g2 square, as observed in several of the recent Benoni Defence games. This is of course easily prevented. || 

27. f3 Nb6 

| Black has some threats involving, 28. ... Nxf3+ 29. gxf3 Qxf3, with complications to be calculated. It depends on personality now. Some people will calculate such a threat will generate activity but will not lead to anything concrete for black. Others will just take the view that it is safer not to allow the activity, even if it eventually goes nowhere. The former view is likely to lead to flurries of excitement as material is thrown at a fleeing king. The latter, no-risk policy, is much easier to play. You choose. || 

28. Ba2+ 

| The black knights might look impressive but they are not going to be allowed to make any impact on the position. || 

28. ... Nc4 
29. Qd3 

| Protecting the f3 pawn against the desperate, Nxf3+, tactic. Do we have a new maxim?: "Prevention of initiative over material". || 

29. ... Qd5 

| Yet again the black queen finds herself the wrong side of an x-ray attack up a central file. Not to mention voluntarily entering into another x-ray attack on the same diagonal as the black king. This is horrible for black but not quite decisive enough to justify resignation. || 

30. Bf6 

| White now has options of liquidating both the black knights at the cost of the pair of bishops. Perhaps not usually a good trade, but when an exchange ahead and without any pawn weaknesses, this plan to enter an endgame is sensible. There is now also the possibility of the white queen manoeuvring to invade on the h6 square and threaten mate to take into account. Has anyone ever suggested that fianchetto bishops who abandon their home square might be charged with being absent without leave? || 

30. ... Ra8 
31. Bxc4 bxc4 
32. Qe3 

| The black activity has been controlled, the queenside pawn majority is not a threat anymore. White's patience is about to receive reward as the heavy pieces finally have their chance to show their strength. There is just one last roll of the dice for black... || 

32. ... f4 

| Tactricks abound. Every white piece is better than every black piece and yet black conjures up a clever trick. Is anyone playing this game from the white side thinking of playing, 33. Qxf4? || 

33. Qe7 

| The black f4 pawn is made toxic with the tactical tools of forking, deflection and x-ray attack. If white plays, 33. Qxf4, black replies, 33. ... Ne2+, forking the white king and queen. The obvious, 34. Rxe2, is a deflection of a defender which allows black, 34. ... ... Qxd1+, winning back the exchange. That apparently pinned black d4 knight was in the middle of a mutual x-ray attack between the white d1 rook and black queen on d5, and for once in this game, the x-ray attack was favourable for black. This tactrick also offers a demonstration of another often overlooked concept, the backward capture by a knight. For example, 33. Qxf4 Ne2+ 34. Kh2 Nxf4 35. Rxd5 Nxd5, though black here had the luxury of, 35. ... Bxd5, available as well. || 

33. ... Nf5 

| Guards against the mate on g7 but allows liquidation. Instead, 33. ... Qf7 34. Qxf7+ Kxf7 35. Bxd4 cxd4 36. Rxd4, white wins a pawn back and then one of the f4 or c4 pawns will be lost next move, white is easily winning. || 

34. Rxd5 Nxe7 
35. Rd7 

| Seemingly winning a piece, however black has a little trick to postpone the inevitable for a few moves. || 

35. ... Nd5 

| This saves the piece but not the game. || 

36. Rg7+ Kf8 

| Instead, 36. ... Kh8 37. Be5, and the various threats of discovered check from the white g7 rook will be too strong. For example, 37. ... Bc6 38. Rc7+ Kg8 39. Rxc6, winning. || 

37. Be5 Re8 

| Offering white one last chance to go wrong, the threat is to undermine the white g7 rook with, 38. Rxe5. Instead,37. ... Bc6 38. Rxh7, solves nothing. || 

38. Rxb7 
Black resigns, 1-0 

* * * 

## Unannotated game. 

White: Colin Crouch, 2407. 
Black: Simon Warman, 2128. 
Event: Ron Banwell Masters 2001. 
Result: 1-0 in 38 moves. 
Opening: Old Benoni, A43. 

1. d4 c5 
2. d5 d6 
3. c4 g6 
4. Nc3 Bg7 
5. e4 Nf6 
6. h3 O-O 
7. Nf3 Na6 
8. Bd3 e6 
9. O-O exd5 
10. cxd5 Nc7 
11. a4 a6 
12. Bg5 Rb8 
13. Qd2 b5 
14. e5 dxe5 
15. Nxe5 Bb7 
16. axb5 axb5 
17. Ra7 Qd6 
18. Nc6 Nfxd5 
19. Nxb8 Rxb8 
20. Be4 Bd4 
21. Ne2 Qb6 
22. Raa1 Ne6 
23. Nxd4 Nxd4 
24. Rad1 Qe6 
25. Rfe1 f5 
26. Bb1 Qc6 
27. f3 Nb6 
28. Ba2+ Nc4 
29. Qd3 Qd5 
30. Bf6 Ra8 
31. Bxc4 bxc4 
32. Qe3 f4 
33. Qe7 Nf5 
34. Rxd5 Nxe7 
35. Rd7 Nd5 
36. Rg7+ Kf8 
37. Be5 Re8 
38. Rxb7 
Black resigns, 1-0 

* * *