Skype coaching session, 26 March 2017. 

Please note: Re-structuring of the sessions now offers the option for guests to bring their own games for group discussion. 

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 games 28 moves is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

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White: W. Maes, 2239. 
Black: F. Vreugdenhil, 2003. 
Event: Prague 2014. 
Result: 1-0 in 28 moves. 
Opening: King's Gambit Accepted, Quaade Attack, C37. 

1. e4 e5 
2. f4 exf4 
3. Nf3 g5 

| Amazingly, the database consulted had no less than 19 other options for black here. The more popular choices are: pawn d5, or, pawn d6, or, Be7, or, Nf6, or, pawn h6, or, Ne7, or, Nc6, and 12 more moves to be investigated if you enjoy the lesser-known variations. || 

4. Nc3 

| The three more popular choices for white here are: Bc4, or, pawn h4, or, pawn d4, and as can be expected lead to tactical complications requiring much homework before including in the repertoire. || 

4. ... g4 

| There are three known different choices for black here, by far the most popular is, Nc6, or roughly as popular as the game move are either, Bg7, or, pawn d6, the latter two moves worthy of consideration if combined with a little home study first. || 

5. Ne5 

| One example of a different knight move produced the following brevity: 5. Nd4 Qh4+ 6. Ke2 Bc5 7. Nf5 Qf2+ 8. Kd3 Nc6 9. Qe2 Ne5+ mate. White did not have to suffer that mate as, 9. Nd5, would offer the white king the c3 square for flight. Howeversuch an, "improvement", is unlikely to encourage players on the white side of this variation into reviving, 5. Nd4. || 

5. ... Qh4+ 

| The game Spielmann - Leonhardt, Abbazia 1912 produced: 5. ... d5 6. Nxg4 dxe4 7. Nf2 Qe7 8. Bc4 Nf6 9. O-O Qc5 10. Ncxe4 Nxe4 11. Qe2 f5 12. d3 Nc6 13. dxe4, 1-0 in 23 moves. || 

6. g3 fxg3 
7. Qxg4 Qxg4 

| Instead the greedy, 7. ... g2+ 8. Qxh4 gxh1=Q, might initially seem good for black, but after, 9. Qh5, practical experience suggests white has a very good position. Clearly anyone thinking of playing this line for white will need to study the handful of examples available, but once committed to memory, expect the rewards to come your way. || 

8. Nxg4 d5 

| The less committal, 9. ... d6, intending to control the e5 square, to be followed with, 10. ... Bg7, has yet to be explored. || 

9. Ne5 

| Instead the game Pillsbury Maroczy, Vienna 1903, went: 9. Bh3 dxe4 10. Nxe4 f5 11. Ne3 Nc6 12. Bxf5 gxh2 13. Rxh2 Bxf5 14. Nxf5 Nge7 15. Nxe7 Bxe7, 1/2-1/2 in 51 moves. || 

9. ... Bd6 
10. d4 dxe4 
11. Nxe4 Bf5 

| The white knight on e5 looks too strong to be allowed to remain on the board, so black should instead play, 11. ... Bxe5, when after, 12. dxe5 Nc6 13. Bb5 Bd7, the white e5 pawn is under pressure. If then, 14. Bf4 O-O-O, and black is ready to fight the middlegame. || 

12. Bb5+ 

| An acceptable alternative was the liquidating, 12. Nxd6+ cxd6 13. Bb5+ Nd7 14. Nxd7 Bxd7 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. hxg3, when white has two pawn islands and black has four. Not a winning advantage as such, but it will be black who has the more difficult task in this endgame. || 

12. ... Bd7 

| Black must avoid, 12. ... c6, when, 13. Nxd6+ Kf8 14. Nxf5 cxb5, and black has lost a piece in the transactions. || 

13. Nxd7 Nxd7 
14. Nxd6+ 

| White now has the bishop pair against a black pair of knights. The pawn structure, in particular black having three isolated pawns, d6, f6, and, h6, creates defensive problems. Some members within the chess family just do not get along, and here we are about to have a case of mutual lack of support within the black ranks. Knights and pawns can never look after one another. When a knight defends a pawn, that pawn cannot be defending the knight. The reverse is also true. When a pawn defends a knight, that knight cannot be defending the pawn. A complete contrast to a bishop and pawn who can enter into a mutual protection scheme. || 

14. ... cxd6 
15. hxg3 O-O-O 

| Black might appear to have achieved king safety with a slight lead in development. Perhaps so, but this is not the real point here. The forthcoming middlegame is going to be a battle between the minor pieces. The white bishops will very easily find comfortable diagonals. The black knights will find it almost impossible to establish good outposts. || 

16. O-O f6 

| The black f-pawn whether on f7 or f6 will always be in need of defensive support. Similarly, the black d6 and h7 pawns can only be defended with pieces. Isolated pawns are not automatically weak. It all depends who is attacking and who is defending. Here it is black who cannot coordinate the forces to put white on the defensive. Consequently the isolated black pawns will become targets as the activity of the white pieces begins to increase. || 

17. Bf4 Nb6 
18. Rae1 h5 

| Played so that the black h8 rook can support a possible, Nh6. || 

19. Kg2 

| A triple purpose move. Firstly, the king defends the g3 pawn which permits the f4 bishop to move elsewhere if it wishes, though as it happens, the h2 - b8 diagonal is just fine for this piece. Secondly, the king is one square closer to the centre / kingside in readiness for invasion when the middlegame transposes into an endgame. Thirdly, and the most important reason, the king has been lifted from the back rank which offers sideways movement for a rook to target a weakness. || 

19. ... Rh7 

| Guarding the e7 square from a potential white rook invasion. || 

20. Bd3 

| White now has the bishop pair working on parallel diagonals, and as such takes much control of the kingside. All it needs now is for the white rooks to join in and material will be gained. || 

20. ... Rh8 

| The black rook retreats to h8 to keep a guard on the weak h5 pawn. Black is now struggling to find an active plan. Once the queenside is secured, white can then slowly infiltrate on the kingside while keeping pressure on weak black pawns. || 

21. c4 

| Preventing, Nd5. || 

21. ... Nh6 
22. Rh1 Ng4 
23. b3 

| White protects the c4 pawn and so releases the d3 bishop for action on the kingside light squares. || 

23. ... Kb8 

| The black king decentralises in order to vacate the c8 square. || 

24. Bg6 

| Very simple. Black is now losing a pawn without any compensation. || 

24. ... h4 

| Instead trying for activity on the kingside with, 24. ... Rhg8 25. Bxh5 Rg7 26. Rh4 Rdg8 27. Bxg4 Rxg4 28. Rxg4 Rxg4 29. Kf3 Rg8 30. Bxd6+, only gives white a decisive advantage. || 

25. Rxh4 Rxh4 
26. gxh4 Nc8 

| Protecting the weak d6 pawn in order to release the d8 rook for action, but it is too little too late. || 

27. Bf5 

| Attacking the stranded black g4 knight. || 

27. ... Rg8 
28. Kf3 
Black resigns, 1-0 

| The black g4 knight has no safe moves. The somewhat desperate, 28. ... Ne5+, can be met with the simplifying, 29. dxe5 dxe5 30. Bxe5+ fxe5 31. Bxc8 Kxc8 32. Rxe5, when the black king is cut off and so cannot contribute to halting the advance of the white passed h-pawn, white wins. There is also the less dramatic, 28. ... Ne5+ 29. dxe5 dxe5 30. Bc1, and again the white passed h-pawn will cost black material, though white must take a little care to keep the black connected central passed pawns under control. || 

*  *  * 

White: W. Maes, 2239. 
Black: F. Vreugdenhil, 2003. 
Event: Prague 2014. 
Result: 1-0 in 28 moves. 
Opening: King's Gambit Accepted, Quaade Attack, C37. 

1. e4 e5 
2. f4 exf4 
3. Nf3 g5 
4. Nc3 g4 
5. Ne5 Qh4+ 
6. g3 fxg3 
7. Qxg4 Qxg4 
8. Nxg4 d5 
9. Ne5 Bd6 
10. d4 dxe4 
11. Nxe4 Bf5 
12. Bb5+ Bd7 
13. Nxd7 Nxd7 
14. Nxd6+ cxd6 
15. hxg3 O-O-O 
16. O-O f6 
17. Bf4 Nb6 
18. Rae1 h5 
19. Kg2 Rh7 
20. Bd3 Rh8 
21. c4 Nh6 
22. Rh1 Ng4 
23. b3 Kb8 
24. Bg6 h4 
25. Rxh4 Rxh4 
26. gxh4 Nc8 
27. Bf5 Rg8 
28. Kf3 
Black resigns, 1-0 

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