Pre-Guelph (1 and 2)

K - C
Pre-Guelph Owen Sound (1), 28.01.2008
E91 - King's Indian

I am going to a tournament in Guelph this weekend so K decided to challenge me to a couple of quick games (G/10+20 seconds) to warm up. I asked him to play up to move 6 this game 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 Bg4 [Mainline is 6...Nc6 7.0-0 e5 8.d5 etc. but I was inspired by Lawrence Day's book on Bryon Nickoloff and Nickoloff's use of this move order. Spassky has also used it as well as Ivanov] 7.0-0 [7.Be3 is the main line. Normally White can't get away with this becaue of ...Ng4] 7...Nc6 [Continuing in a normal KID way. 7...Nbd7 was playable as well] 8.Re1 [8.Be3] 8...e5 9.Be3 [9.d5 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Nd4] 9...exd4 [9...Bxf3 10.Bxf3 exd4 was stronger because then I got the dark squared bishop off for sure 11.Bxd4 Nxd4 12.Qxd4] 10.Nxd4 Bxe2 11.Ndxe2 Ne5 I'm happy with my position. 12.b3 This was forced and opens up the diagonal for my dark squared bishop 12...Nfg4 13.Nf4? [I thought 13.Bf4 taking away the queen idea as he can retreat to g3 if necessary] 13...Nxc4? [13...Qh4 immediately was better 14.Nh3 Nxh2 15.Kxh2 Ng4+ 16.Kg1 Bxc3] 14.bxc4 [14.Qxg4 Bxc3 15.bxc4 Bxa1 16.Rxa1 was better for K] 14...Bxc3 [same idea 14...Qh4 I had the right idea but all in the wrong order] 15.Qc2? [15.Qxg4 i thought] 15...Nxe3? [A comedy of errors. I should've just grabbed the exchange 15...Bxe1 ] 16.Qxc3 Ng4 17.Nd5 Qh4 18.f3? [18.Qg3] 18...Qxh2+ 19.Kf1 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Qxg2+ 21.Kd1 Ne5 [21...Nf2+ 22.Kc1 Qg5+ 23.Kb1] 22.f4 Qf3+ Three pawns up I have to trade 23.Qxf3 Nxf3 24.Rf1 Nd4 25.Nxc7 Rac8 26.Nb5 Nxb5 27.cxb5 Rc5 28.a4 Re8 29.Re1 Rc4 30.e5 dxe5 0-1and he resigned.

Not the greatest game, but he made the last error

C - K
Sadler_C - Sadler_K
Pre-Guelph Owen Sound (2), 28.01.2008
C18 - French : Winawer

1.d4 e6 So after the first game I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to play 2.e4 and give the French a go. It has been my nemesis over the years, but I've been reading over some stuff and the Winawer doesn't seem so scary anymore. 2...d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ [I was worried for a second he would play 5...Ba5 my mind went blank on what to play v. this] 6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Qg4 f5!? [Botwinnik played this against Tal. The main line of the Poisoned Pawn is 7...Ne7 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 cxd4 10.Ne2] 8.Qg3 [8.Qh5+ g6 (but Black can also go for the endgame after 8...Qf7 9.Qxf7+ Kxf7) 9.Qd1] 8...cxd4 9.Ne2? [Being too "brilliant" 9.cxd4 was good enough] 9...dxc3 10.Nxc3 I thought I was better here, Fritz disagrees 10...f4? [Dropping a pawn 10...a6 was better] 11.Bxf4 d4? [Again 11...a6 was better] 12.Nb5 Qa5+ 13.Kd1 [Again trying to be brilliant 13.Bd2 was much better (and winning) 13...Qd8 (13...Qb6 14.Qxg7) 14.Qxg7 +- ] 13...Ne7 14.Nd6+ [14.Qxg7 Rg8 15.Qxh7] 14...Kd7 15.Bb5+ [I was losing the thread here, and should have taken my time 15.Qxg7 is good enough] 15...Nbc6 16.Bd2 Qb6 17.Rb1 a6 18.Bxc6+ Qxc6 19.Ba5 b5 20.Qd3 Qd5 [I thought I was good with 20...Qxg2 21.Re1 but of course 21...Nc6 guarding everything saved the day] 21.a4 Qxe5 22.Nxb5? [Brutal. I should've just bit the proverbial bullet and played 22.Nxc8 ] 22...axb5 23.Rxb5 Qf4 24.Re1 Ba6 25.Re4 [25.Qb3 was better 25...Bxb5?? 26.Qxe6+ Ke8 27.Qxe7#] 25...Qxe4? [25...Qxf2 was much better as his queen guards d4 26.Qxd4+ (26.Rxd4+) 26...Qxd4+ 27.Rxd4+ Nd5] 26.Qxe4 Bxb5 27.Qxd4+? [We both missed a lot of tactics 27.Qb7+! Ke8 (27...Kd6 28.Bc7+ Kd7 29.Be5+ Kd8 30.Qxa8+ Nc8 31.axb5) 28.Qxa8+] 27...Nd5 28.axb5 Rhg8 [28...Rxa5 29.Qxg7+] 29.Bd2 Ke7 30.c4 Nf6 31.Qc5+ Kf7 32.Kc2? [Something like 32.Bb4 was better. I walked into a tactic] 32...Ra2+! 33.Kc1 [33.Kc3 Ne4+] 33...Rxd2 34.b6 [34.Qc7+ Rd7;
34.Kxd2 Ne4+] 34...Rgd8 35.b7? Should've moved my queen...the position of it took a bunch of squares away because of forking possibilities. My game is still in a shambles 35...Rd1+ 36.Kb2 R8d2+ 37.Ka3 Ra1+ 38.Kb4 Rb1+ 39.Ka5?? [39.Ka3 Rxb7 wasn't still terrible for me] 39...Ra2+ Comedy of errors. At least it was an interesting game :) I wasn't happy with the quality of play, but i was happy with the style of play (if that makes sense)? 0-1