Skype coaching session, 08 May 2016. 

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 35 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

* * * 

Annotated game. 

White: J. Benjamin, approx. 2350. 
Black: G. Kramer, approx. 2400. 
Event: Manhattan Chess Club Championship, New York 1978. 
Result: 1-0 in 35 moves. 
Opening: English Opening, Reverse Sicilian, A29. 

| Note: Joel Benjamin was 14 years old when playing this game. He became an International Master in 1980 and a Grand Master in 1986. || 

1. c4 e5 
2. Nc3 Nf6 
3. g3 d5 
4. cxd5 Nxd5 
5. Bg2 Ne7 

| Far more popular here is, 5. ... Nb6. The retreat to the e7 square is the beginning of the plan to control the d4 square with, Nbc6, and, Nf5. || 

6. Nf3 Nbc6 

| Reversed systems are never exact mirror images. If you wish, the English Opening could be considered as the "Sicilian Attack". However white has an extra move over the standard Sicilian strategy. This means that from time to time options appear in the English Opening which are never available for black in the Sicilian Defence. Here is such a position. It is white to play and find a dynamic move to gain an initiative not usually observed in the Sicilian Defence systems. || 

7. b4 

| This is not actually an offer of a pawn but a means to establish a queenside pawn structure by force. Instead the slower, 7. a3, could be answered by black with the restricting, 7. ... a5, preventing the natural queenside expansion of, pawn b4. || 

7. ... a6 

| Black should avoid, 7. ... Nxb4 8. Qa4+ Nbc6 9. Nxe5, when white has gained a centre pawn for a wing pawn. Black would then have to defend the queenside for a long time once the middlegame starts to get going. || 

8. a3 

| Instead, 8. O-O, or, 8. Bb2, are more popular for white here. There is also, 8. a4, with the idea of following with, Ba3, to be considered. || 

8. ... g6 
9. Bb2 Bg7 

| Counter-fianchetto middlegames often result in the opposing bishops eventually being exchanged off. The defensive formation after such an exchange is not automatically weak but can be exploited by the attacker if the remaining defending pieces do not coordinate satisfactorily. || 

10. d3 O-O 
11. O-O Nf5 

| Black now has a firm control of the d4 square. || 

12. Rc1 Ncd4 

| Perhaps it would be more consistent to play, 12. ... Nfd4, which would then permit the black kingside activity to begin with, pawn f5, when appropriate. It is white to play and start a manoeuvre to avoid simplifications and still be able to maintain the pressure on the black centre. || 

13. Nd2 

| A rather instructive triple purpose move. Firstly it avoids the knight being traded off. Secondly the knight will take up duties over on the queenside where it will give important control over certain central squares, the c4 square is an ideal location for this purpose. Thirdly, the g2 bishop now has influence up the h1 - a8 diagonal. These gains come about because a piece is prepared to make what appears to be a somewhat humiliating retreat. Not so. There is no shame on appearing to back down from a potential fight. In fact, it is the retreating action which permits the piece to then advance to a much better square. || 

13. ... c6 

| Black shows why the c6 knight was selected to move to the d4 square. The c6 pawn can now guard the d5 square and block the long diagonal, hoping to keep the white g2 bishop as a passive spectator. || 

14. Nc4 

| The dark squares of, b6, d6, and the pawn on e5 are now targets for this well-placed white knight. Black is hardly likely to lash out with, pawn b5, which would give life to the skulking white g2 bishop again, which means the white c4 knight is effectively unmovable. || 

14. ... Nd6 

| Black decides the white c4 knight is working harder than his f5 knight and so should be traded off. || 

15. Nxd6 Qxd6 
16. Ne4 

| A case of deja-vu? White still likes the idea of a knight on c4 with all the central control it brings, and so the remaining knight manoeuvres to the favoured location with the added joy of a tempo-gain against the black queen. Oh and don't forget the white b2 bishop has now been unleashed to start working up the a1 - h8 diagonal. || 

16. ... Qe7 
17. e3 

| The black d4 knight controls too many light squares in the white position, in particular the b3 square, so it is pushed back. || 

17. ... Ne6 

| Grand Master confuses Grand Rabbit. If deja-vu is good enough for white, then surely it should also be good enough for black? Why is black avoiding, 17. ... Nf5, intending, Nd6, to challenge the remaining white knight should it decide to settle on the c4 square? Perhaps black has plans of a kingside assault involving, pawn f5, and, pawn f4, which could be supported by this e6 knight? || 

18. Qb3 Kh8 

| The white queen has set up an x-ray attack along the a2 - g8 diagonal. Even though there is both the f7 pawn and the e6 knight between the white queen and black king, it is advisable to remove the black king from such a pin before launching the black f-pawn into the attack. || 

19. Nd2 

| Sticking to the plan of heading for the c4 square to gang up on the black e5 pawn. Bobby Fischer advised us, please forgive the paraphrasing: "In chess it is necessary to know when to punch and when to duck." Attacking is all very well but sometimes taking time to defend a threat before it appears is advisable. Here white might have considered, 19. f4, in order to stop the black attack plan of, pawn f5, followed by pawn f4, which could be threatening, pawn f3, shutting out the white g2 bishop. || 

19. ... f5 
20. Nc4 Nc7 

| An awkward means of defending the black e5 pawn, the e7 queen now assists. Black would have preferred the knight to have remained on the e6 square with options of play in the centre / kingside. It is white to play and find a right royal plan to increase the pressure on the black e5 pawn. || 

21. Qa2 

| The white queen might have been showing interest in the a2 - g8 diagonal but this was a bluff. So, what is her true intention? Meanwhile with black to play there are two opposing strategic skittles in the air and one should be immediately grasped and the other left hanging in mid-air for another time. || 

21. ... Bd7 

| It is already move 21 and black was still two moves away from completing development. We are told not to begin your final attack until your queen's rook is in play. Similarly we have advice not to engage in attacks with only a few pieces developed. Excellent advice and sound for approaching 99 per cent of the time. This leaves that awkward 1 per cent of times to recognise a potential exception and respond accordingly. Black here should break the general advice to complete development and instead play actively with, 21. ... f4. White has two options. If, 22. exf4 exf4 23. Rfe1, white has play on the e-file but black will find counterplay without any problems. Instead if white sits still on the kingside then black can proceed with, 22. ... f3, when 23. Bh1 Bh3 24. Rfd1 Rae8, and black is well placed. || 

22. Qa1 

| Those Hypermodernists knew a thing or two! The battery of the white queen and bishop up the dark square a1 - h8 diagonal is going to prove a problem to black for the remainder of the game. || 

22. ... Rae8 
23. Rce1 

| This rook had no real future on the c-file. The centre / kingside is the new theatre of operations for this piece where it now pins the black e5 pawn to the black queen, and so prevents the black activity involving, pawn f4. || 

23. ... Nb5 

| Black no longer has an active plan and must instead sit and wait for white to increase the pressure on the e5 pawn. || 

24. f4 e4 
| The black e-pawn will be no happier on the e4 square and the blocking out of the white g2 bishop is only temporary. Black should resist opening up the centre with, 24. ... exf4 25. exf4, as white would generate too much play. If then 25. ... Bxb2 26. Rxe7 Bxa1 27. Rxd7 Bf6 28. Rxb7, white has won a useful pawn. Instead, 24. exf4 25. exf4 Qf7, falls into, 26. a4, forcing an annoying deflection of the protector of the d6 square. Play could continue with, 26. ... Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Nc7 28. Nd6 Qg8 29. Bxg7+ Qxg7 30. Qxg7+ Kxg7 31. Re7+, and as white has both a rook and knight covering the f7 square then black cannot safely play, 31. ... Rf7, which means the black d7 bishop would be lost. || 

25. a4 

| White deflects the black defender of the d6 square, which allows the c4 knight to have a material-winning entry, fully justifying the white strategy of twice placing a knight on the c4 square. || 

25. ... Nc7 
26. dxe4 fxe4 
27. Nd6 

| Isn't chess a strange game? White manoeuvred three pieces on the queenside to place pressure on the dark squares but failed to win the black e5 pawn, it simply advancing out of danger. One might think that the black e-pawn would be safe on the light square of e4, but this is shown to be an illusion as the white knight forks the black e8 rook and e4 pawn. || 

27. ... Rb8 

| Instead, 27. ... Qxd6 28. Bxg7+, and black loses an exchange on f8. || 

28. Nxe4 Nd5 

| The black queen x-ray pressure on the e3 pawn will not lead anywhere. When the time is right the black queen will be removed from the game with a sequence of checking captures on g7, which means black cannot regain a pawn with, Nxe3 at any time. Black cannot find any compensatory activity for the lost e-pawn, it is now a test of technique for white. || 

29. Nc5 Rf7 

| It never rains but it pours. The black queen is overloaded, having to defend the black bishops on g7 and d7. White was threatening to capture twice with check on g7 and then win the d7 bishop with, Nxd7. || 

30. Bxg7+ Rxg7 
31. Qd4 

| A double purpose move. The white queen centralises to protect the forked e3 and b4 pawns and also create an x-ray attack on the black d7 bishop. || 

31. ... Be8 

| Black has no coordination and prospects of creating some are remote. Now the central white pawns start rolling and the black pieces are simply targets waiting to be hit. There will be several ways for white to push through for victory fromm here, fortunately we have a Grand Master to show us how to find the most clinical method. || 

32. e4 Nf6 
33. f5 Rd8 
34. Qb2 

| The white queen correctly maintains the x-ray attack through the black f6 knight and g7 rook. White now threatens to win material with, 35. e5 Ng4 36. f6, forking the black queen and rook. || 

34. ... Rf7 
35. e5 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| The conclusion could be, 35. Nd5 36. e6+ Rg7 37. f6, and in order to avoid losing a rook black must give up the d5 knight with, 37. ... Nxf6 38. Qxf6. Too painful a prospect to contemplate. || 

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## Unannotated game. 

White: J. Benjamin, approx. 2350. 
Black: G. Kramer, approx. 2400. 
Event: Manhattan Chess Club Championship, New York 1978. 
Result: 1-0 in 35 moves. 
Opening: English Opening, Reverse Sicilian, A29. 

1. c4 e5 
2. Nc3 Nf6 
3. g3 d5 
4. cxd5 Nxd5 
5. Bg2 Ne7 
6. Nf3 Nbc6 
7. b4 a6 
8. a3 g6 
9. Bb2 Bg7 
10. d3 O-O 
11. O-O Nf5 
12. Rc1 Ncd4 
13. Nd2 c6 
14. Nc4 Nd6 
15. Nxd6 Qxd6 
16. Ne4 Qe7 
17. e3 Ne6 
18. Qb3 Kh8 
19. Nd2 f5 
20. Nc4 Nc7 
21. Qa2 Bd7 
22. Qa1 Rae8 
23. Rce1 Nb5 
24. f4 e4 
25. a4 Nc7 
26. dxe4 fxe4 
27. Nd6 Rb8 
28. Nxe4 Nd5 
29. Nc5 Rf7 
30. Bxg7+ Rxg7 
31. Qd4 Be8 
32. e4 Nf6 
33. f5 Rd8 
34. Qb2 Rf7 
35. e5 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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