[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W31"]
[Black "B31"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00031.5.16 Analyzed by National Master Corey Russell}
 
1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Nxe4 f5
{This is a mistake. This weakens black's king (the e8-h5 
diagonal is now open), doesn't develop, and not black is 
unable to boot a white piece from e5. He will have to use 
pieces now to do that. Instead, simple development like 
...Nf6 or ...Bd7 followed by ...Bc6 is to be recommended.}
5. Bg5
{I understand your wish to post a knight on c5, but this 
move is dubious. By far, the e5 square is a better outpost. 
It is a hole in your opponent's position. A hole is a square 
that your opponent's pawns can't cover. c5, on the other 
hand, can easily be covered by the black b-pawn. Instead 
of Bg5, I recommend the following setup to take advantage 
of black's weakening by f5: Nc3, Bc4, Nf3, castles short 
(O-O), and Re1, with a definite advantage to white because b
lack's e6 pawn is a target.}
5... Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Nc5
{I recommend 7. Nc3 instead}
7... Nc6 8. d5
{A good rule of thumb to follow is: don't attack until you've 
gotten all your knights & bishops out, and you've castled 
to safety! Your entire army wants to get involved in the 
fight. If you use just a few pieces, you can be overwhelmed 
if you opponent uses all of his pieces, kind of like a 3 on 
1 fast break in basketball. Instead, Be2 looks best, so that 
if black tries to push ...e5, white won't have to worry about 
a discovered check, because the bishop would be blocking. 
After the text, black could win a pawn by playing 8. ... Qxc5 
9. dxc6 Qxc6.}
8... exd5+ 9. Ne2
{This isn't good. Black is threatening ...Qxc5. White MUST 
prevent the loss of a piece. Qe2! does the job! Black can't 
take the knight since that would expose his king to check by 
the white queen on e2, which is illegal. White only loses a 
pawn this way. Also, the knight on e2 block's white's bishop 
from getting out. This will cause problems later. White's 
king-knight should be posted on f3 instead, where it helps to 
control the center.}
9... f4 10. Qd2
{This still hangs a piece on c5. Nb3, followed by 11. Qd2 
(trying to castle-queenside and thereby free white's e2 knight 
to move) is the best way to proceed. 10. Qxd5 is possible, 
but black can get a lot of tempo (extra moves) on white, so 
it's probably not worth it. For example, 10. Qxd5 Nf6 11. Qc4 
O-O-O, and now white can't even castle}
10... Ne5 11. Nxf4
{This should lose, as now black can now win white's queen by 
force. Do you see it? Instead, preserving white's c5 piece 
with Nb3 is much preferable.}
11... Nc4+
{Oops! Wrong check! Much better for black is 11. ... Nf3+ 
12. Kd1 (forced, since it's double-check) Nxd2 13. Kxd2 Qxc5, 
with a crushing position for black.}
12. Be2
{Uh, oh, white returns the favor. White's queen is in jeapordy, 
and his king is in check. Is there any move that will get the 
queen out of danger, AND block the check? Yes! Qe2! Not only 
that, it even indirectly defends white's knight at c5, since 
the black queen is pinned to her king. Instead, black procures 
a large amount of material.}
12... Nxd2 13. Kxd2 g5 14. Nce6
{This should lose immediately after 14. ... gxf4. Notice if 
15. Bh5+ Kd7 16. Bg4 Kd6, and black's king is perfeclty safe.}
14... Qb4+ 15. Kc1 Qxf4+
{Black commits a minor blunder. He's still winning, but white 
can take black's queen with 16. Nxf4 gxf4. This would leave 
black with a piece up, though his development is severely 
lagging. This is still far better than what actually happened 
for white.}
16. Kb1 Qxf2 17. Rf1 Qxg2
{There was no reason for black not to dominate the white bishop.}
18. Bb5+ c6 19. Nc7+ Ke7 20. Re1+ Kf6 21. Ne8+ Kf7 22. Nd6+ Kf6 
23. h3
{Why not continue checking with Ne8+? Maybe black will repeat 
the position 3 times with the same person to move, and then 
you can legally claim a draw!}
23... Bxh3 24. Nxb7
{White's bishop is hanging. Instead, preserving the bishop 
with say Bd3 is superior (though black's still winning).}
24... Re8 25. Rxe8
{This ignore's black's threat of back rank mate. Instead Rc1 
would fight on (sort of). Black's advantage would stil be huge.}
25... Qg1+ 26. Bf1 Qxf1+ 27. Re1 Qxe1#
 
0-1
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W32"]
[Black "B32"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00032.5.17 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite 
 
Caro-Kann Defense}
1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 d5
4. Ne5 Nf6 5. f4 Bc5
 
{Both sides have mishandled the Opening. Black misses
the golden opportunity to cramp White "almost"
permanently with …d4. From now on White has to play
"catch up." In some fine restaurants putting
"ketchup" on your steak means the cook did a poor job.
 In chess playing "catch up" in the Opening,
especially as White, means you've done a poor job. 
The move, 5. f4 is "almost" losing. After 5…d4 the
Knight has to move. The idea for Black is Nxe4, Bd6,
and Qc7. This game of "ketchup" should be fatal for
White.}
 
6. d4 Bd6
 
{White gets back on track. While the move 6. d4 is
not the best, it is an attempt to put some pressure on
the Black center and keep disaster a move or so
further down the line. It stuffs the Black idea of
…d4. 6. Nd3 is an odd move that seems to work. 
This strange move attacks the Bishop and keeps it off
b4 at the same time! The problem is that it is a "one
move" solution that blocks the Bishop and will
probably have to move again. The idea is to find as
permanent solutions as possible in the opening. Black
now as the golden opportunity to play 6…Bb4 completely
disrupting the White center.}
 
7. Bd3 O-O 
 
{White misses the simple, and possibly equalizing,
idea of 7. Nxf7! Kxf7 8. e5. Always consider the
check. A check is a free move. How many times would
you like to move more than once? Here is the chance,
consider the check - ALWAYS. From the defense's
perspective it helps to not give away free moves.}
 
 8. a3 d6xe5 
 
{White takes leave of his senses. A lesson in White's
mistaken 8th move is to evaluate the threat before you
move. The suspicion is that White is playing 8. a3
for one of two reasons. Either White does not have an
idea [plan] or White fears the move ….Bb4. The
problem with White's move it is that it opens the door
for Black to capture on e4. Either …dxe4 or Nxe4 is
strong.}
 
9. f4xe5 f6xe4 10. Qh5 Nd7 
 
{Now Black runs out of ideas. I know that it looks
like Black should develop but there are more pressing
issues at hand - like survival. The move, 10. Qh5
introduces a very dangerous idea that must keep Black
on guard. It is necessary for black to play …f5. The
result of this is that the Bishop on d3 is permanently
taken out of the game. If White tries 11. exf6 [en
passant] then 11…Nxf6 covers the vital h7 square and
tackles the Queen on h5. The White attack fizzles. 
This game can be a lesson in handling dangerous ideas
casually. On defense you must be aggressive!}
 
11. b4 g6 
 
{White "baits" Black into taking at c3. In the
process, White drops the piece. The Black move of g6
is correct.}
 
12. Qh6 e4xc3
 
{Black picks up the piece. This is correct. However
there is a short lesson to be learned in this move. 
Whenever you capture material, you in essence give
something up. In short, you give up two moves [one to
capture the piece and one to put the capturing piece
back on the square you want it]. You must weigh the
cost of the time against the material won. In most
cases take the piece but think it through first. If
you are in doubt that you will survive the coming
attack - don't grab the material. At this point the
material grab is safe and gives Black a huge
advantage.}
 
13. Bg5 Qc7 
 
{Black loses immediately. Now Black must play 13…
f6. The best White can hope for now is the perpetual
check [or draw by three-fold repetition]. However the
game is far from over. White's initiative is still
very dangerous. For example, 13. Bg5 f6 14. Bxf6 Nxf6
15. exf6 Rxf6. Then there is 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxg6
Kh8 and White gains the draw by repetition [perpetual
check]. On 15 Bxg6 Nce4 16.exf6 Nxf6 17. O-O Qe7 18.
Rxf6 Rxf6 Black wins easily. On 14. exf6 Nxf6 Black
should still be safe - but under pressure.}
 
14. Bf6 d7xf6 15. e5xf6 Qe5+ 16. d4xe5 g5 
 
{You asked a question at the beginning: "I have been
playing for about 12 years. I have only got serious about my 
chess in the last 2 years. I have a strong love for chess and I
played at least 2 games everyday for the last 2 years. I
don't have a rating, but I feel I am pretty good. I have no
one to play but the computer. So, I am self-taught in
everything I know. please tell me if I'm on the right track." 
 Answer: First, I am glad you love chess. The
fact is that chess is plain fun. I really does not
matter what your skill level is if you can enjoy what
you are doing. I did not win a game the first two
years that I played, but I had fun anyway. There are
several ways to gain a chess rating. You can go to
United States Chess Federation rated tournaments. 
These are official ratings. You can play chess
on-line and gain a rating that is not official but can
give you an idea of your strength [I know these
ratings are debatable but…]. You can play a chess
program that will rate your level of play. Remember
that the "rating" is only a measure of relative
strength. 
 As far as being "self taught" is concerned, we
all need help at times. There are many good books
that can help teach us. Silman's "Amateurs Mind" and
"How to Reassess your chess" are the best at this
point in complete instructional manuals for most
players (under the Master level). There are many
places on-line that offer instruction. If you love
chess, then you will find the study of chess enjoyable
when there is no opponent around. It is also fun to
hit your unsuspecting neighbor with something you just
learned in your studies. There is a problem with
studying chess, the better you get the less
competitive the neighborhood games become. In other
words, it becomes less fun if you do not have a
serious challenge. One method of correction for this
is what my first chess teacher once said, every chess
player has the moral obligation to help teach others
the game. Teaching kids in the schools is a great
chance to stretch yourself. 
 About being on the "right track," that depends on
what you want to accomplish. If you want to beat your
neighborhood you are fine. Cut back on the mistakes
and learn to play with your pawns and you will give
most of your local friends fits. I think the critical
element in your immediate improvement is to understand
pawn play.
 In the game as Black, you gave yourself a "Bad
Bishop." That is a Bishop where the central pawns are
on the same color as the Bishop. In essence this is
playing a piece down. Part of the reason for the
Opening you chose [the Karo-Cann] is to avoid the bad
bishop. For the most part you need to play the Bishop
to f5 before you play …e6. The Bishop is technically
"bad" but it is active [useful]. Remember that pawn
will dictate your strategy both offensively and
defensively. Use them to create space, permanent out
posts and create weakness in your opponent's camp. 
Remember chess is war, these pawns are the foot
soldiers. You can not win a war without putting
troops on the ground and winning as much space as
possible. 
 To get an accurate "track" a coach would have to
examine at least 50 games over several years time
period. What you are looking for is an improvement. 
By that, look to understand what mistakes you commonly
make. Then eliminate them. This will make you much
stronger by virtue of the fact that you are not
helping your opponent! Also there are set of basic
applications that a chess coach will look for that
includes pawn play, piece interaction, and pattern
recognition [et. al.]. The goal is to improve over
time. The painful thing is that this process takes a
fearless moral inventory, something that few have the
courage to do. Still, keep at it. Enjoy the game. 
Teach someone else.}
 
17. h6xh7++
 
1-0
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W33"]
[Black "B33"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00033.5.18 Analyzed by National Master Corey Russell}
 
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3
 
{As you probably know, this position denotes the Grand Prix 
attack. With proper play, black would equalize -- though 
not without its pitfalls for black.}
 
4... Bg7 5. Bb5 e6
 
{?! This gives white a nice game. 5. ... Nd4! gives black 
equality. Why, you ask? Several reasons 1) doesn't let 
white double black's pawns on c6 2) let's white's bishop 
stay a target. For example, 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. Ne2 Nf6 8. d3?? Qa5+ 3) 
the knight at d4 can't be booted from d4 by c3, since white's 
knight occupies that square.}
 
6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. O-O Ne7 8. d3 Bxc3
 
{? This severely weakens black's dark squares and his king-side. 
More logical is continued development with 8. ... 0-0 
9. Be3 b6 10. Qe1 Ba6, with the idea of ..c4 to undouble 
black's pawns.}
 
9. bxc3 Qb6 10. c4
 
{! A strong multi-purpose move. Here's what it does: 
1) fixes the black c5 pawn, keeping a target 2) controls d5, 
so that black can't use that central square for his pieces when 
white plays an eventual e5 to create an potential outpost for 
white's knight at d6. 3) It evens opens up the a1-h8 diagonal 
for white's bishop.}
 
10... Bd7 11. Be3 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. Bc3 Rg8
 
{Good. You didn't fall for 13. ... O-O? 14. Bf6! Rae8 15. Qe1 
with a winning king-side attack.}
 
14. Be5
 
{Dubious. This should've forced black to go to his most active 
square (...Qa5). White has a MUCH stronger move instaed -- 14. Bf6! 
This would put a massive cramp on black. Black can't mobilize 
his king-side or center, he can't castle, and he can't even take 
white's f4 pawn. (14. ... Qxf4 15 Ne5 with a clear advantage 
for white. Try to work it out). White's bishop is a far 
superior piece to black's knight at e7.}
 
14... Qc8 15. Bd6 b6 16. Bxe7
 
{This isn't bad, but again -- white's bishop is far superior 
to black's knight. Why shouldn't white intensify pressure on 
the dark squares with Qe1, with the idea of Qh4.}
 
16... Kxe7 17. e5 b5 18. Qe1 Rh8 19. Qf2
 
{?! This cashes in too early. White's winning chances in the 
middle game are excellent. 19. Ng5 with the idea of Ne4, and 
possibly Qh4, leaves white with a great game. Notice that white 
is pratically a piece up, because of the limited scope of black's 
bishop on d7, compared to white's knight.}
 
19... Qf8
 
{! A resourceful move! Black's chances aren't great, but 
certainly they are better in the endgame than the middle 
game. This is because black's king stuck in the center 
is a drawback in the the middle game, but an advantage in 
an ending.}
 
20. Qxc5+ Ke8 21. Qxf8+ Kxf8 22. c5 a5 23. a4
 
{I don't like this move (though it is okay). I'm sure white's 
idea was to create a target on a5 and to create a potential 
reroute for his knight (Nd2-c4), but his was unnecessary since 
white could always reroute by Nd2-e4. I like 23. a3, keeping 
white's pawn opposite black's bishop (hence not a target). 
Here's a general rule to remember -- the farther advanced a 
pawn is, the more vulnerable it is.}
 
23... b4 24. Nd2 Kg7 25. Nc4 Rhb8 26. Rfb1 h5 27. Rb2 Ra7 
28. Rab1 Rbb7 29. Kf2 f6
 
{Notice that if white would have posted his knight in the center 
(e4), this break would not even be possible.}
 
30. Ke2 Be8 31. exf6+
 
{Simply 31. c3 would've won a pawn for white. Note that earlier, 
c3 wasn't possible because after the exchange of rooks on b7, 
black could've played ...c2! and white could not have stopped 
the pawn. It doesn't work now, however, because the white 
king is within range of the c-pawn.}
 
31... Kxf6 32. h4 Rd7 33. Nd6 Ra8 34. d4 Rad8 35. Kd3 Rxd6
 
{Good! I would've done this myself. Passive play is sure 
to lose -- active play is black's best chance.}
 
36. cxd6 Rxd6 37. c3 c5 38. Kc4 bxc3 39. Kxc3
 
{39. dxc5! retains white's advantage.}
 
39... Rxd4 40. g3 Rxa4 41. Rb8 Bf7 42. R1b7 Rb4
 
{Resourceful!}
 
43. Rxb4 cxb4+ 44. Kd4 Kf5 45. Rf8 Kf6 46. Ra8 Kf5 47. Rxa5+ Kg4 
48. Rg5+ Kf3 49. Ke5 b3 50. Kf6 Be8 51. Rc5 b2 52. Rc3+ Kg4 
53. Rb3 Ba4
 
{? This gives white winning chances. Even in an endgame, 
activity of yoru pieces is paramount. 53. ... Bc6! draws 
by force AND has a subtle trap. If 54. Kxg6?? b1Q+ 55. Rxb1 Be4+ 
would force white to resign! And if white tries Rxb2 instead of 
Kxg6, then Be4 sets up a fortress. This is a common motif for 
the side with less material. White's rook for bishop in that 
position would be worthless.}
 
54. Rxb2 Kxg3 55. Kxg6
 
{? White throws his win away. 55. Kg5! preserves the win. 
The idea is to drive black's king away with a check on the 
third rank, then pick off either the e6 or g6 pawn, and finally 
to sacrifice the rook at the right moment to get a winning K + P 
endgame.}
 
55... Kxh4 56. Rh2+ Kg4 57. Rxh5 Be8+ 58. Kf6 Bxh5 59. Kxe6
 
1/2-1/2
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W34"]
[Black "B34"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00034.5.19 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
{For having only a year of experience you played well. 
I'm sure by now you have realized that your demise is
due to the loss of the d-file. However, the difficult
part is to figure out how this happened. Let's take a
look.}
 
1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 
 
{This is the "Two Knights Variation." It is an
attempt to confuse the Caro-Kann player. Keene
considers this "sharp" while Schiller calls it
"quiet." How you handle it is a matter of
personality. If you choose to give up the Bishop pair
early you must keep the game "closed." (All four
center pawns on the board.) Thus, when the d-file
opens you invite trouble.}
 
3…Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 e6 
 
{Solid, but…. As a defender you must be aggressive. 
You also have the option to transpose into more
familiar territory with 3….dxe4 4. Nxe4 5. Bf5. Also
a tempting idea between moves 3 through 9 is the move
…d4. This is an attempt to close the center and gain
space on the Queenside. Again this is a matter of
personality. My favorite way of attacking the Two
Knights Variation is to play 5…Nf6 if 6. e5 then the
center will be permanently locked giving you the
chance to make your Knights better than the opponent's
Bishops. You can choose between Nfd7 and Ne4. If
White tries 6.d5 then 6…dxe4. The idea is that Black
gains a move (tempo) 7.Qe3 e6 (The d4 pawn is
undefended if 7.Nxe4 Qxd4.). Now after the exchange
on e4 the Queen Knight heads for d5 through d7 and f6. 
The idea is to plant the Knight securely on d5,
making it, in theory better than the White Bishop
pair.}
 
6.d3 Nf6
 
{Here is the chance to create some interesting
possibilities. For instance 6….d4 7. Ne2 Qb6. White
is forced to commit to some sort of stand on the
Queenside. One idea would be to play 8. c3. The
problem with this idea is that Black is not developed
properly. The "total war" that will develop is going
to be difficult.}
 
7.Bd2 c5 
 
{While not objectively unsound, 7….c5 invites many
problems. Here the problem again is the lack of
development. Typically in these pawn positions Black
is going to want to play …Bd6 and …Nd7 before …c5. 
Even stronger is if Black can also achieve a Rook on
the c - file. Now consider the possibilities of 7….
Nbd7 8. O-O-O Bd6. Now Black can try to "clear and
seal" with …c5 and …d4. The concept involves clearing
the Knight from it's defensive post and using the pawn
structure to seal off the opponents pieces on the
opposite side of the board. This takes courage
because you will need to castle on the opposite side
and attack without counting the cost (sacrifice almost
everything if necessary). However, you do get to
isolate the King away from any reinforcements.}
 
8.g4 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Be7
 
{The question for you to answer will be the pawn
charge on the g - file. You might want to experiment
with the Sicilian Dragon. After facing the Yugoslav
Attack, you will loose the fear of these pawn charges. 
Even here you can play 9…d4. A good rule is to
always play in the center (e and d files). When you
face an attack on the wing (side) become active in the
center. Generally the stronger of the attacks will
occur in the center.}
 
10.g5 dxe4 11.dxe4 Nd7 12.h4 Nd4 13.Qg3 Qb6 14.Ne2 Bd6
15.f4 0-0-0 16.Bc3 Nxe2 
 
{16. Bc3? After building a strong initiative, with a
little help from your passive game, White plays a poor
move. 16. Nxd4 cxd4 17. e5 Bc7 looks more interesting
for White. With the d - file open and the Knight
planted on d4 Black can easily equalize with 16…e5. 
If 17. Bxd4 cxd5 gains a strong initiative for Black. 
Even 17. Nxd4 exd4 neuters the Bishop and gets you
back into the game. With this exchange Black
accomplishes several of White's major goals. (As much
as possible, do not help your opponent. Never force
your opponent to do something that you will regret!) 
First, Black opens the d - file White's only means of
attack. Second Black opens the long diagonal (a1- h8)
for White, in effect giving White the center. 
Finally, Black opens (abandons) the center. Once you
post a Knight in your opponent's territory keep it
there or make the opponent sacrifice (or pay a high
price) to get rid of it. The reward for this is that
White will seize the d - file and disrupt Black's "key
ranks" (the 1,2,7,8 ranks) with the Bishops.}
 
17.Be2 Qc7 18.Rhf1 Rhg8 19.Bd3 g6 20.Qf2 Rde8 21.Kb1
Nb8 22.Bb5 Nc6 23.Bf6 a6 24.e5 Be7
 
{Giving up the Bishop is a new concession that in
effect looses the game. The Bishop was the only piece
that was keeping the Black Rooks from invading your
territory. One general idea is for the defender to
trade off attacking pieces. However, that guideline
is wrong in this situation. Principle: You must do
what the position demands. Do not just follow general
ideas or try to force your will on the position. You
can still fight on after 24… Bf8.}
 
25.Bxe7 Rxe7 26.Bxc6 Qxc6 27.Rd6 Qc7 28.Rfd1 Kb8
29.R1d3 c4 30.R3d4 c3 31.b3 Rc8 
 
{A fascinating idea at this point is 31….Qa5. Black's
move 31....Rc8 does not help.}
 
32.Rc4 Qa5 33.Rxc8+ Kxc8 34.Qa7 Qc7 
 
{Now for a review. Black allowed White to capture the
d - file. This was complicated by giving up the
strong Knight at d4 and sealed by giving up the Bishop
guarding d6. Your weak points seem to be the lack of
control of the central squares, lack of understanding
pawn play, and (I suspect) the inability to understand
the board position. Now for the good: somehow you
managed to maintain your balance in a difficult
position. You came up with a creative attacking idea
(29….c4) when you needed it. With a solid
understanding of the position and your creativity you
will be a tough opponent for anyone. Suggestions: 
Focus your game on the center. I'd suggest that you
attack the center with simplifying ideas such as
closed pawn structures or open (no pawns in the
center) games. You may want to consider charting the
pawn structures in your games. For instance, you may
do better in positions without center pawns. I would
suggest that you explore more aggressive openings -
especially gambits. While you are charting your games
give careful attention to when you make your errors. 
For instance in this game you could mark moves 16 and
24 as major errors. When you come up to your common
problem moves, give yourself extra time to think
through your move and remind yourself of your
weaknesses. Keep up the good work. Honestly
analyzing your games will bring fast improvement.}
 
35.Qa8+ resign 
1-0 
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W35"]
[Black "B35"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00035.5.20 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
{You did not miss an obvious win. Your opponent did
miss a chance to equalize and probably gain a
significant advantage.}
 
1. Nf3 
 
{Every chess player must progress through stages. At
the age of 15 and a rating of 1179 this is not a good
opening for you. Until you reach the 1500+ level you
should play some variety of 1. e4 (in your case you
may want to explore the King's Indian Attack). You
must learn the tactical end of the game and practical
end games that come from "Open" games.}
 
2…f5 2. d4 e6 3. Bf4 3…Nf6 4. Nc3 
 
{Generally in Queen's Pawn games the idea is to play
c4 before Nc3. The idea is to take up space in the
center with the c-pawn. More pieces equal more
control - and more targets for your opponent.}
 
4…Be7 5. g3 
 
{In the opening you must look for ways to disrupt your
opponents pawn structure. The move here is 5. d5.}
 
5…d6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O 
 
{Do not castle because you can. Castle because it
fits your plan.} 
 
7…Ne4 
 
{A poor move. It looks aggressive but notice that
Black is not developed.}
 
8. Nxe4 fxe4 9. Nd2 d5 10. f3 Rxf4 
 
{Black's idea gives away material, but almost works. 
The strategy depends on if you panic over the pawn at
e3.}
 
11. gxf4 e3 12. Nb3 Bd6 13. Nc5 
 
{Consider 13. Qe1}
 
13…Bxf4 
 
{13…Qf6 is Black's chance. Suppose the game follows
lines similar to this game: 14. Nd3 Qxd4 15. c3 Qf6
16. Qa4 Bd7 17. Qd4 Qxd4 18. cxd4. Now Black can
choose between …Bb5 and there are too many hanging
pawns for White to defend. The move …Nc6 is even more
devastating.}
 
14. Nd3 Bxh2+ 
 
{Black continues to give away material. At this point
White is solidly winning.}
 
15. Kxh2 Qh4+ 16. Kg1 
 
{Excellent, you side step the trap involved in 16. Bh3
e5.}
 
16…Qxd4 17. c3 Qf6 18. Qa4 
 
{Simpler is 18. Qc1. However, this move has
potential.}
 
18…a6 
 
{Missing 18…Bd7.}
 
19. Qd4 
 
{When you are ahead this much material follow a basic
principle: trade into oblivion! The idea is to take
out the opponent's most dangerous piece. In this case
the target is the Queen. The easiest way to eliminate
the Queen is to play 19. Qe8+ Qf8 20. Qxf8. Another
interesting idea is to play 19. Ne5.}
 
19…Nd7 20. Qxe3 e5 21. Bh3 
 
{Personally I liked 21. Rad1 to exploit Black's
underdevelopment and lack of support in the center. 
Worth considering is 21. f4}
 
21…Qh4 22. f4 
 
{22. Be6+ Kh8 23. Rf2. Remember that "check" is a
free move. It's like getting to move twice in a row. 
Always consider the forced moves first. Many Masters
will often stop analysis if they find a satisfactory
continuation along forced lines. Forced lines are a
"sure thing" as opposed to other lines. I also liked
22.Bxd7 Bxd7 23 Qxe4 with the idea of Rf2.}
 
22…e4 23. Nf2 
 
{Another idea to consider would be: 23. Rf2 exd3 24.
Qe8+ Nf8 25. Bxc8 Qg4+ 26. Bxg4 Rxe8 27. exd3.}
 
23…Nf6 24. Bxc8 Rxc8 25. Qh3 Qxh3 
 
{Very nice! Finally you force the critical trade. 
With enough time White has a dominating lead in
material.}
 
26. Nxh3 Ng4 27. Ng5 Ne3 28. Rf2 c5 29. Rc1 
 
{Moving Rf2 should naturally suggest Rh2. Play with a
plan and stick with it until your opponent forces you
to change.}
 
Re8 30. b3  
 
{The win was a matter of time. Some lessons from this
game would include the following ideas. First when
you started with 1. Nf3 you told your opponent that
you were not a tactical threat and probably have
trouble on defense. This invited his unsound attacks,
which must have kept you busy. You must understand
that your opponent must still be beaten. Generally
time problems are a matter of attitude. The suspicion
is that you fell into the trap of what Soltis calls,
"Believing Him." This is a fear of attack, respecting
your opponent, second guessing, not trusting your
calculation, reacting to your opponent instead of
playing your own plans, seeing threats where none
exist. Another very common problem is the "over
calculation syndrome." This when a player will
consider line "A" then go on to line "B" and so forth.
 Possibly the player will then consider "C" which will
be rejected. Now the player will go back and think
through line "A" and then see line "D." After all
this time, the player will consider line "B" again
then panic. The player will realize that a lot of
time has been lost in uncertain ideas and play move
"E" which as not yet been analyzed. 
 
Several cures natural present themselves. First, play
a "forcing system." (Colle, Stonewall, King's Indian
Attack, etc.) If you are addicted to 1. Nf3 as a
starting move you can try the King's Indian Attack. 
There are several nice ideas surrounding 1.e4 that are
positionally strong and provide lots of chances for
quick wins. Mainly the Max Lange and King's Gambit. 
Try to strengthen your tactical abilities. This will
help you calculate the severity of your opponent's
attack. If you know what you will play the first 8
moves of a game, it will save time. Second, develop
an attitude. Put to use "Fischer's Rule." Attack
something, if it doesn't move take it! If you cherish
positional chess, learn end games. (This fits well
with "Fischer's Rule.") The idea is to get to end
games against higher rated players as quickly as
possible. This puts them on your territory and at a
huge disadvantage since few players have learned end
game play. Another way of putting this might be: play
to your strengths. Never look at your opponent's
rating. If you did not know this player was a 1700
player you would have thought he was a beginner and
treated him like a complete idiot. Finally, after a
loss ask yourself: "Where did I give the opponent
control of the game?"}
 
30...d4 0-1 
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W36"]
[Black "B36"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00036.5.21 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 exd4
4.e5 Ne4 5.Qxd4 d5 6.exd6(e.p.) Nxd6
7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Qf4 g6 9.0-0 Bg7
10.Re1+ Be6 11.Ng5 0-0 12.Nxe6 fxe6
 
{So far you and your opponent have played "book"
moves. In other words these moves are already known. 
It is impressive that you and your opponent have
picked through the maze this deep into the game. You
need to be wary of being lead to the slaughter. Never
take on an opponent in their territory. You can avoid
the Petroff/Russian Defense with 3. Nc3. This will
get you back into lines you probably know and
positions where you are comfortable. At the very
least, you take your opponent out of his specialty.}
 
13.Qg3 
 
{At this point you vary from "book." The old thought
is that the first to stray from the lines of the past
either gets their head handed to them or they have a
brilliant idea. In this case, you get your head. You
have many problems -> the open d - file, the half open
f - file, the non-development of the Queenside pieces,
Black's control of the middle, weak King position. 
(All tactics are based on positional elements.) 
Somehow you must buy some time to develop your pieces.
 Not to question theory, but you should go back and
understand how this line has led you to a miserable
position. BTW, this looks like one of those moves a
computer would make.} 
 
13… Bd4 
 
{Chess lesson #1: Black takes advantage of a "pivot
point." This is the square(s) that the Bishop uses to
attack the same side of the board that it sits on. 
Often we see a Bishop cutting across a diagonal but
the real danger comes from these pivot points where
suddenly it is attacking back across the grain. This
move is brought to you courtesy of your lack of
development.}
 
14.Re2 
 
{Now your Rook is not on the back row. There is
nothing to defend against the back row checkmate. 
Whenever there is a weak King position, look for a
tactical shot.}
 
14…Ne5 15.c3 
 
{Ouch, this is probably the only move that looses. 
You should have tried Bg5, Bf4, Nc3, or Nd2. When
your opponent has this much development on you, you
can not afford the time to chase pieces. Besides, c3
does nothing to move the Bishop of the "dangerous
diagonal" (the diagonal that bears down on your f2/f7
square). You are completely lost at this point. 
Chess lesson #2: Development is more important than
breathing! Chess in a sense is a war game where you
must mobilize your troops. If you do not, you insure
an easy game for your opponent. Again, this is
another computer like mistake. Play more live
opponents.}
 
15…Ne4
 
{Chess lesson #3: Pattern recognition. First, your
King is on the back row with no breathing room. 
Second, you have to deal with the open files. The one
that is going to seal your fate is the d - file. 
(Chess lesson #4: Always play in the center.) Your
opponent puts together two common patterns.}
 
16.Bxe4 
 
{Pattern #1: The decoy. This decoy had the added bite
of actually creating extra possibilities on f2.}
 
16…Bxf2+ 
 
{Pattern #2: Clearing the file. Both of these are
simple to see if you know your patterns. Invest time
on learning these basic patterns.}
 
17.Qxf2 Rxf2 18.Rxf2 Ng4 
 
{Chess lesson #5: Imbalances. An imbalance is any
difference in the position. At this point you are 2
Bishops & Rook verses Queen and Pawn. Not bad as far
as material is concerned. However, look at how the
Knight dominates both your Bishops and Rook. This is
called the "superior minor piece." In spite of your
material differences, you are playing a virtual Rook,
Knight, and Bishop down (pieces that have not been
developed). Black also has his pick of the d - file,
the f - file, and the a7 - g1 diagonal.}
 
19.Nd2 c6 20.h3 Nxf2 21.Kxf2 Qb6+ 22.Ke2 Qb5+ 23.Bd3
Qg5 24.Kf1 Rf8+ 25.Nf3 Qg3 26.Be2 e5 27.Bh6 Rf5 28.Rd1
Qf4 29.Be3 
 
{This move is not possible - the Bishop can not move
though the Queen on f4. Thus I'm assuming the correct
move was 28…Qh4. Chess lesson #6: Pins. Somewhere I
read/heard that 80% of Master level games are decided
by a pin. In this case the pin is "absolute." In
other words you can not move the pinned piece. (A
"relative" pin is when you can move the pinned piece -
at the cost of what's behind it.) You must deal with
a pin immediately if not sooner! There are three ways
to do this: move the piece that is behind the pin,
attack the pinning piece, and impose another piece
in-between. For instance, look at the common
"relative" pin of a Black Bishop on g4, White Knight
on f3 and Queen on d1. You can move the Queen,
"question the Bishop" with h3 (which generally leads
to an exchange), or play Be2 (freeing the Knight and
the Queen).}
 
29…e4 30.Bc4+ Kf8 31.Bc5+ Ke8 32.Re1 Kd8 33.Rd1+ Kc7
34.Be6 
 
{Chess lesson #7: Never resign! You can not win if
you resign. You have a combination of interesting
ideas available to you. First, your opponent is
crushing you like a bug - you have him just where you
want him. Second, you have two Bishops on a very open
board and a Rook sitting on an open file. The
conditions are ripe for a major league swindle. 
Possible over-confidence or carelessness can sometimes
be used to steal a point. Try 35. Rd7+, if Black
carelessly moves 35…Kc8 you force mate. If 35. Rd7+
Kb8 36. Bd6 again tempting …Kc8 forcing mate (37. Bc7+
Kd8 38. Rc8#). Develop a reputation for being
dangerous when you are cornered. If chess is a war,
it is not an honorable one. You must try every
filthy, disgusting, ugly, swindle opportunity the
board position gives you. Just be a gentleman and
don't gloat, laugh or put down your opponent. There
is a difference gritty chess and bad sportsmanship.} 
 
34...exf3 resign 0-1
  
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W37"]
[Black "B37"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00037.5.22 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 e6 4.Bd3 c5 5.c3 Nc6 
 
{As a coach of children, I teach them insanely
aggressive openings up until they are over the 1500
mark. From 1500 – 1800 they learn the Colle – K. 
It’s good for handling better opponents with explosive
possibilities. After 1800 I require them to play the
Torre and introduce them to the Queen’s Gambit. The
Colle introduces the player to games that are “close”
(less given to the luck that the opponent will miss
something). In other words, creating advantages from
equal positions. Also it stretches them to understand
the position and play accordingly.}
 
6.0-0 
 
{6. Nbd2 to prevent 6…Ne4, 7…f5.}
 
6…Bd6 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Re1 
 
{Better is the move 8. e4, because you do not need Re1
to accomplish your goal.}
 
8…Qc7 
 
{Black has an ideal set up against the Colle – K. He
should have a very comfortable game.}
 
9.dxc Bxc5 10.e4 Qb6 
 
{Black also has …Bd6 (better than the text, the attack
on f2 is less effective than on h2) and my favorite
…Nce5 (which should unravel the White attack). White
should get nowhere after either of those moves.}
 
11.Qe2 Ng4 
 
{Again 11…Nce5 immediately and permanently ends all
hope for White to achieve an advantage by liquidating
the center pawns, liquidating a set of minor pieces
(giving Black the “magical” Bishop pair), and
neutralize the White space advantage in the center and
King side.}
 
12.Ref1 f5 13.e5 Qc7 
 
{Even here Black should have a slight advantage but
plays it badly.}
 
14.Nb3 Bb6 
 
{Best is 14…Nce5 (can you tell I like this move?) 15.
Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxc5 Ng4 (threatening checkmate) 17. g3
Qxc5 or 17. f4 Qxc5+}
 
15.Bf4 Bd7 16.Rae1 17.Qd2
 
{Strange looking move that sets up 18. h3 forcing
…Nxf2. You do a good job of proving that Black’s
attack on f2 is mythological.}
 
17…Re7 18.h3 Nxf2 19.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 20.Qxf2 h6 
 
{White at this point has control of the game and has
all the possibilities. It is more or less a matter of
time. These are excellent training positions. Now
how will White cash in on his dominance?}
 
21.Nbd4 
 
{Ouch. Between the next four moves you demonstrate
that you do not understand the position. Consider Be3
with the idea of Bc5. Also consider Qg3 with the idea
of Bxh6. When you are up positionally, look for ways
to tie the opponent’s position down more. Look for
the most forcing moves. The two redeeming factors are
that Black is uncoordinated and White has both Bishops
controlling the Kingside.}
 
21…a6 22.Nxc6 Bxc6 23.Be3 Rc8 24.Qh4 
 
{You completely miss the point of the position. You
must learn to read the position! You have complete
dominance on the Kingside thanks to your Bishops. You
have complete control of the dark squares thanks to
Black’s lack of dark square Bishop. You are playing a
virtual piece up thanks to the bad Black Bishop. You
have a fine out post for the Knight on d4. How can
you take advantage of these ideas? First you can try
24. Bb6 Qc7 25. Nd5. Now you can consider Nxe6 prying
open the middle and giving you a passed pawn. With
the two active Bishops White should finish Black off
quickly.}
 
24…Be8 
 
{This is one of those double-edged moves. I like it
because it sets up an interesting defense but Black
mishandles it and never uses the idea.}
 
25.g4 f4 
 
{Black’s losing move. The idea of …Be8 was to play
…Bg6, which looks like it stabilizes the position –
for now.}
 
26.Bd4 
 
{When in control, keep it patient and simple. When
behind the defense must be patient but also active. 
Many times, the defense wants to complicate a position
in hopes that he opponent will lose the way. An idea
that would be very difficult to risk in OTB play would
be 26. Bxf4. In postal, I would have given it a try. 
The trade is to give Black the White Queenside in
exchange for an attack on the Black Kingside. This
will work if you get the King (which might prove
difficult). However if you don’t get the King, you
have given Black a huge end game advantage. Always
play with an eye on the endgame. At this point, I
like your choice.}
 
26…Qd8 27.g5 Rf7 
 
{Black makes his second losing move. The Bishop at
e8 is badly placed now. It keeps the Queen and Rook
from aiding the defense. You are now playing
everything on one (the Rook at f7).}
 
28.Qg4 Kh8 29.Kh1 
 
{One of my third grade students asked, “Why didn’t he
take the pawn?” White misses the “crush” 29.Qxe6. 
Through out this game you have made life interesting
for Black then let him off the hook due to not
understanding the position. It is true that at this
point anything short of divine intervention will
probably not help Black. However, you must catch
these opportunities if you want to move to a higher
level. Against a seasoned opponent the outcome of
this game would have been different.}
 
29…Qe7 30.Rg1 Rf8 31.b4 Rg8 
 
{Interesting. 31… h4 prolongs the agony.}
 
32.gxh6 gxh6 
  
{Suggestions #1: Work on your positional
understanding. A big area to focus on would be
superior minor pieces. In this game you never made
use of your Bishops – they tended to be glorified
pawns. They are key in the Colle – K. If you don’t
use them, you need another opening! Suggestion #2:
Consider a more flexible opening such as the Torre or
Colle – Zukertort. “Forcing” openings tend to be “one
idea” openings. One of the dangers of “forcing”
openings is the guys that write the books make us
think that all we have to do is understand the ideas
behind the openings. Unfortunately the idea may be
completely misguided in a given concrete situation. 
Where ideas come to force is in flexible openings
where you can often put two or more ideas together to
create complicated patterns of pressure. In this game
you were patient which should serve you well if this
is your general tendency. Suggestion #3: Lost games
are more valuable than won games for learning
(analyzing a won game is not as useful). Compile a
file of lost games (50 or more) and examine them for
common errors. This will include where the error was
made (keep a close look out for transitions). When
you see a “losing” move try to figure out the
circumstances that brought you to this place. Some
losing moves are a result of a series of bad ideas or
a lack of understanding the position. You can frame
your wins. Suggestion #4: Force yourself to calculate
one more move. Play based on concrete positions, not
general ideas (use them only to get ideas, after that,
calculate, calculate, calculate). When it seemed that
you started to do this you played much better. It
will also help you to take bigger risks.}
 
33.Qxg8++
 
1-0
  
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W38"]
[Black "B38"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00038.5.24 Analyzed by National Master Corey Russell}
 
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 h6 5. O-O d6
 
{Everything is going fine so far. Both sides are concentrating 
on developing their pieces, controlling the center, and 
getting their kings into safety (with the exception of black's 
prophylactic...h6).}
 
6. Nc3
 
{The last move is certainly playable and logical, but should 
lead to an equal game. 6. c3 would keep more of the pieces 
on the board and retain greater flexibility, and hence 
generate more winning chances for white than the text. 
Grandmasters and masters alike, if they assay the Guicco Piano 
(3. Bc4) will almost invariably choose 6. c3.}
 
6... Nf6 7. Be3 Nd4
 
{A good move by black. This prevents 8. d4 by white, which 
is both line-opening and space grabbing. In addition, black 
can now boot any white piece that tries to plant itself at 
d5 by playing his pawn to c6, and last but not least, white 
will have to remove his dark squared bishop to get rid of 
the black knight on d4, since 8. Nxd4?? exd4 would lose a piece.}
8. Na4 Bg4
{Good. This completes development while pinning white's 
knight on f3 to the white queen. 8. ... Bg4 also shows 
that black is paying attention, as white was threatening 
to win a pawn with 9. Nxc5 dxc5 10. Nxe5.}
9. Bxd4 Bxd4 10. c3 Bb6 11. Nxb6
{?! Since black's bishop wasn't going anywhere, there was 
no need to rush this capture. Instead, white has a chance 
to break the pin by playing 11 Qb3!?. If black takes white's 
knight with ...Bxf3, then white replies Bxf7+ (check!) K moves 
and gxf3. It's true white's pawns are doubled, but they 
reinforce white's center, plus of course white has the pawn 
plus. And at any convenient time, white can eliminate that 
bishop on b6.}
11... axb6 12. Re1 O-O 13. Re3 c6 14. d4 b5 15. Bb3 Qd7
{Playable, but both 15. ... Nd7 and 15. ... Qe7 were worthy 
alternatives, since the queen would be preserved. A queen 
trade goes into an endgame where black has doubled-pawns, 
which may favor white slightly.}
16. dxe5 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 dxe5 18. Rd1 Qe7
{A good place for the queen. It reinforces black's pawns 
on e5 and f7, gets the queen out of danger, and leaves open 
the option to post the queen to c5, if convenient.}
19. Qf5
{considering the black knight guards d7, this move does nothing. 
White may have been worried by ...Nd7-c5, but a3 would be a 
better response. a3 would allow the white Bishiop to move 
(now that it isn't tied down), which could allow Bc2 in some 
lines to defend the e-pawn. Also, the general rule is: keep 
pawns the opposite color of your bishop, if possible.}
19... Rfd8 20. Red3 c5
{! A nice move which takes advantage of white's dubious Qf5. 
Clearly, white cannot try to win a pawn with 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 
22. Rxd8 Qxd8 23. Qxe5?? as 23. ... c4 24. Bc2 Qd2 threatens 
the bishop and mate, and there is no way to defend against 
both, and white has no perpetual checks.}
21. c4
{If white has to play this (which he does), then clearly 
something went wrong. after black plays ...b4, then white's 
c-pawn is a potential target, d4 is opened up as a potential 
outpost for the black pieces, and the pawn blocks white's 
own light squared bishop. Notice that if white had played 
a3 earlier, then in response to ...c5 he could have simply 
played Bc2, with an even game.}
21... b4 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Qxe5 Qd2
{! Now due to the inaccuracy of white's play, black will 
enter a superior ending because of black's more mobile knight.}
25. g3 Qe1+ 26. Kg2 Qxe4+ 27. Qxe4 Nxe4 28. Bc2 Nd6 29. b3
{Putting yet another pawn on a light square. 29. Bd3 was 
to be recommended.}
29... f6 30. f4 b5 31. cxb5
{? Very bad. Allows the black knight great activity and outposts 
(c3 an d4). Far superior was 31. Bd3 bxc4 32. Bxc4+! Nxc4 33. bxc4 =}
31... Nxb5 32. Bd3 Nc3 33. Kf3 Kf7
{Good. It's important the black king get into the game as soon 
as possible. Besides, white's a-pawn isn't going anywhere.}
34. Ke3 Nxa2 35. Bc4+ Ke7 36. Ke4 Nc3+ 37. Kf5 Nd1 38. Ke4
{Dubious. This allows black to consilidate. Better was 
39. Kg6 Ne3 40. Bd3 (Kxg7?? 40. ... Nxc4 wins for black) Kf8 
41. h3, and it's hard to see how black will make progress.}
38... Kd6 39. g4 g6 40. h4 Nc3+ 41. Kf3 Nd5 42. Ke4 Nb6 43. Kd3
{?? 43. Bf7 still offers white chances to draw. For example, 
if 43. ... c4 44. bxc4 b3 45. c5+ Kxc5 46. Bxb3 trades off 
the queenside, and 43. ... g5 44. fxg5 fxg5 45. hxg5 hxg5 
46. Kf5, white picks up the g-pawn, with a draw the likely 
result. The text should lose immediately, as 43. ... Nxc4 
wins on the spot.}
43... g5 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. fxg5 fxg5 46. Bg8 Ke5 47. Bf7 Nd7 
48. Kc4 Kd6 49. Bh5 Ne5+ 50. Kb5 Kd5 51. Ka4 Kd4
{Now black's superior king + knight will decide the game.}
52. Kb5 Nd7 53. Bf7 Ne5 54. Be6 Nd3 55. Bf7 Nc1 56. Ka4 Kc3 
57. Be6 Nd3 58. Bf7 Ne5 59. Be6 c4 60. bxc4 Nxc4 61. Kb5 Ne3 
62. Kc5 b3 63. Bxb3 Kxb3 64. Kd4 Nxg4 65. Ke4 Nf6+ 66. Kf5 g4 
67. Kf4 Kc3
{Black is clearly winning here...only a blunder by black 
could lose/draw this.}
68. Ke3 Nh5 69. Kf2 g3+ 70. Kg2 Kd2 71. Kg1 Ke2 72. Kg2 Ke3 
73. Kg1 Kf3 74. Kh1 g2+ 75. Kg1 Ng7 76. Kh2 Kf2 77. Kh3 g1=Q 
78. Kh4 Kf3 79. Kh3 Qh1#
 
0-1
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W39"]
[Black "B39"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00039.5.25 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3.
Nc3 Bb4 
 
{The French Winawer. In theory it is solid yet
aggressive. You choose an older inflexible way to
meet it (and more difficult to defend against). 
Typically White will unleash a strong Kingside attack
with Qg4.}
 
 4. e5 c5 5. a3 cxd4!?
 
{This move makes sense. Objectively it may be
questionable but it offers Black two pluses. First it
gives Black the half-open c - file. Second it breaks
up the White center pawns. One reason for questioning
this move is that it does not appear to be consistent
with the objectives of Black's choice of opening. 
Always remember there is a plus in every negative on
the chessboard. Chess is an exchange of advantages
and disadvantages. For instance, if you drop a piece
you generally get two moves in exchange for it. 
Sometimes the two moves are more critical than the
piece. It is the reason that sacrifices work. That
is why chess coaches warn younger players to not chase
pawns. It is not worth the moves that are given up. 
In the games that I've seen, it appears that Black
wants a quick resolution to the game by choosing this
move.}
 
 6. Qxd4 Bxc3
 
{Interesting try for Black, typically the play would
be either …Nc6 or …Ba5. Again the move makes sense,
but remember in chess that there is an absolute truth
at work. Wrong moves should be punished by accurate
play.}
 
 7. Qxc3 Nc6 8. Bb5 
 
{At this point the idea would be to play Qg3. The
forcing of the …g6 gives White a huge positional
advantage with the pawn at e5 and the absence of the
Black's dark square Bishop. If Black castles Kingside
he should not be able to defend himself.}
 
8…Bd7 9. Nf3 d4?
 
{This move is too ambitious at this point. Now Black
will be stuck with an over-extended pawn. In the French,
Black must defend first, THEN attack. Development was
essential on move 9. 
 
Again a move that makes sense. 9…d4 is not as bad as
you think. The move is not an "attack." Pawn moves
are seldom for purposes of "attack." As a general
rule, the idea of the pawn move is to gain or control
space. I do however agree that this move is ill timed
and too ambitious. In a sense the pawn is sacrificed
for open lines. The problem for Black is that these
open lines benefit White! BTW, in every defense the
idea is to "defend first, THEN attack." All attacks
must have positional justification. Black does have a
problem unraveling his development in the French
Defense - your opponent compounds this natural
problem. This is why I do not personal recommend the
French Defense you young players. If you are
interested in completely frustrating someone playing
the French Defense try the "Exchange Variation." It
takes all the fun out of it for Black.}
 
10. Qd3 Ne7 11. Bg5 
 
{Black's development is now becoming less effective
because his pieces are being pinned and becoming useless.
 
Black is cramped but at this point is fine. Do not
mistake a cramped position for a bad position. Some
defenses are specifically designed to make maxim use
of as little space as possible. These can be very
tough to crack and if the attacker relaxes or
mishandles the position, it could get real ugly real
fast. One characteristic of a cramped position is the
interlocking of pieces. This is called "over
protection." The idea is that for every attacker on a
piece there is at least one more defender. This makes
the various pieces more flexible - you can move any
defender and not give up material. About pins: You
place a high value on them for good reason. Pins
often decide the game! There are two types of pins. 
There is the "absolute" pin. These are pins where the
first piece can not move because the King is behind
it. Then there is the "relative" pin where the
defender can choose to give up material. The
difference is that the second is flexible while the
first is not. The "magic" behind the pin is the
inflexibility of the pinned piece and generally its'
defender. With one piece you can tie up as many as
three defenders! That's like playing a virtual piece
or two ahead. Another thing to like about pins is
that they can quickly become a permanent positional
advantage. Once you get a pin, work on the front
piece - start piling up the attack on it.}
 
11. ...a6
 
{Missing …Qa5+ and …Nxe5. The stronger of the two
would be …Nxe5, completely dissolving the White center
and freeing Black's game. The draw back is that it
scrambles the Black pawns and leaves White with a 2 -
3 pawn island advantage. The question is if a free
game and an advantage in the center would be worth
it?}
 
12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. 0-0-0 0-0
 
{Black should have tried 13…Qd5. This makes use of
the earlier …d4 move. 14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15.Nxd4 Bxg2 16.
Rhg1 Be4 and Black has placed his Bishop on a
dominating square can go just about anywhere
unhindered. This pivot point is critical. On 15.
Rxd4 then Bxf3 is strong for Black.}
 
14. Nh4 h6 15. Bf6! 
 
{A bolt from the blue for Black! My intuition kept
nagging at me to play 15. Bf6, so I had to use 
almost half of
my time to give the gut feeling a green light. 
 
You knew better, generally your first instincts are
correct. The old rule of thumb is "long analysis is
wrong analysis" at the board. This drops a piece. 
Let's examine why the move is not good. First, it
gives away the Bishop for a pawn without time
advantage. Second, it does not force anything. When
you sacrifice it must be forcing. Black is not
obliged to capture.}
 
 
15. ...gxf6 16. Qg3+ Ng6
 
{Here Black, in essence, blunders the game away. 
16…Kh7 17. exf6 Ng6 and Black is home free with extra
material.}
 
17. Nxg6 fxg6?
 
{This was Black's last chance to defend himself by not
taking back the Knight and moving his King over to the
h-file, giving up the Exchange. 
 
You got that right!}
 
18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qxh6+
 
{If I couldn't find an absolute win, I knew I could at
least give perpetual check.
 
Attitude check. When you have your opponent in your
sights never, never, never consider the draw. In
fact, never consider a draw until you are absolutely
sure the position is completely lifeless - or you are
tricking your opponent out of half a point. Even in
completely lost positions there is value in playing
them out - you learn a lot by the hard spots in life. 
Don't pass up your best learning opportunities.}
 
19. ...Kg8 20. Qg6+ Kh8 21. Re3 Bxg2
 
{The only move that can prevent an immediate mate by
22. Rh3+}
 
22. Rg1! Rg8?? 
 
{Congratulations! You finished with a good score. In
this game you took advantage of your opponents
weakness/mistakes. You were also aggressive and
willing to take a risk. You must study the
"positional" aspects of the game. To attack you must
have positional justification. To sacrifice material
you should have concrete analysis all the way through
to checkmate. Also when you sacrifice focus on
forcing moves. You showed excellent insight into some
ideas in the game and you made sure your position was
solid. Once you get a grip on the positional essence
and learning how to read the board, you'll be a match
for just about anyone under the Master level.}
 
23. Qh6#
 
1-0 
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W40"]
[Black "B40"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00040.6.03 Analyzed by Expert Tim Smith}
 
1. d4 f5?!
 
{The Dutch defense is becoming less and less used in 
masterplay due to evolving opening theory and refuting 
ideas. Much stronger is the classic
King’s Indian with 1…Nf6 or Queen’s Pawn game with 1…d5.}
 
 
2. c4 Bb4+?
 
{Unnecessarily restrictive. The simple 2…Nf6 was called 
for or setting up the stonewall formationwith 2…d5 with 3…c6 
to follow. TheStonewall is well-known as an “Anti-computer” 
defense because the positionstend to be reliant on long term 
positional maneuvering and not quick tacticalflares.. 
This allows white a free handin the center to push to 
e4 and increase his spatial advantage and to openlines to 
use his superior development. The text is easily refuted 
with 3. Nc3 where any exchange on c3 can only benefit white.}
 
3. Bd2 (A playable alternative) Bxd2?!
 
{Not the best continuation here either. Much more logical 
is 3…Qe7, when 4. g3 Nf65. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 and only now Bxd2 
where black doesn’t stand nearly as badly. The text relinquishes 
Black’scontrol of the center as well as speed
in development.}
 
4. Nxd2 Nc6?!
 
{Another dubious move. Better is 4…Nf6 5. e3 b6 6. Bd3 c5 
7. 0-0 and then 7…Nc6 when Blackdoesn’t stand as badly. 
Black isn’tgiving White much to
think about.}
 
5. e4!?
 
{A good decision. Tobe considered as stronger, however, is 5. g3 with a
kingside fianchettogradually building up the position. Attempts to retain the
initiative with 5. d5 Nce7 6. dxe6 dxe6 onlysucceed in helping black
mobilize. Opening the position early like this without the development to
back it up can lead to disaster.}
 
5…fxe4 6. Nxe4 d5?
 
{The first blunder. The e-file was already white’s avenue of attack as long as
the blackking is in the center. Weakening thee-file for white even further
does not help matters. Not only is the e-pawn weak, but the king is weak! 
Much better was the obvious 7…Nf6 with acastle kingside.}
 
7. Nc5?!
 
{A questionable move. Certainly the knight cannot establish himself here. It
would seem as though this warrior wouldlike to fight on black’s weak side of
the board, the kingside. 7. Ng3 would be begging to be played. Now, Black
can solidify with 7…Nge7!}
 
7…b6?!
 
{7…Nge7 kept things together in excellent order for blackwith the idea of 0-0
and Nf5 followed by Qd6 solidifying with chances. Also, eventual e5 advances
would begin to become feasible. There’s no reason to immediately chase
the knight away from its post.}
 
8. Nb3 Bb7?
 
{A blunder. Black may feel obligated to play that move because of b6, however
it is imperative thathe castle as soon as possible. Therefore, 8…Nge7! with
the idea of 0-0 Nf5 and Nce7 would be indicatedfor Black. Another possible
move, evenmore aggressive perhaps, is 8…Qf6!? threatening Nge7 with even
stronger forceas the ideas dxc4 followed by Nd5 are now possible. After the
text white can pick which side of the board to play on(queenside, center,
kingside) as he has prospects in each area.}
 
9. Qd2?
 
{White could choose to play in the center which would revolvearound attacking
the e-pawn and controlling the e-file most like starting withideas like 9.
Qe2. White could chooseto play on the queenside (now that black played b6)
because of the ideainvolved with 9. c5! (making the b7 bishop look pretty
ridiculous) and Rc1, a strongidea, with invasion on the c-file. Lastly, the
kingside where black’s king remains open. Moves such as 9. Bd3 come to
mind.
 
D2 is a poor square for the queen as she is not involved inany real plan and
she’s exposed to attack on this square (Ng8-f6-e4) etc. Passivity resembles
this move. Black still does have to deal with thesomewhat distant threat of
Bd3 followed by Ng5 with a fork on the h and epawns. However, intending Ng5
so theknight can be protected from the queen at d2 is a poor reason to play
themove. With correct play, Black could’vepounced on this.}
 
9…dxc4?
 
{Allows white to develop with tempo with subsequent pressureon the new
isolated e-pawn. It’s toobig of a trade-off between all these cons and the
one and only pro of morebishop activity. 9…Nf6! was the indicatedmove.}
 
10. Bxc4
 
{Here, it doesn’t take a Garry Kasparov or Vishy Anand to seethat white is
well ahead in position. Space advantage, more piece mobility, a lead in
development, attackingchances, the list could go on and on. The main trump
black holds is the long diagonal and the d-file. But use of these means
doesn’t leave as goodof impression as White’s.}
 
10…Bc8?
 
{In an inferior position, Black picks the worst way possibleto defend the
pawn. 10…Qf6 would’vebeen indicated.}
 
11. Ng5!
 
{I personally would’ve castled kingside first to increasepressure with Re1 as
well, but one can hardly call the text an error.}
 
11…Na5??
 
{A game-losing blunder. If Black intended to sacrifice the isolated e-pawn, he
should’ve done sowith 11…Nf6. Now the position becomeswide open and tactics
loom left and right. Only the better developed, fully-mobilized side can
profit from this.}
 
12. Nxa5! bxa5 13. Nxe6 Bxe6 14. Bxe6 Qe7 15. d5?!
 
{Much superior to the text is of course, 15. 0-0.}
 
15…Nf6!?
 
{Not bad at all. Thelong awaited Nf6! However, here thecapture on e6
would’ve been a stronger preparatory combination to the text.}
 
16. 0-0
 
{Of course, this can’t be an error, however consider thestronger 16. 0-0-0!
with the strong threat of d6!.}
 
16…a4??
 
{Another game-losing blunder. This has nothing to do with the position. 
Black needed to liquidate with 16…Bxe6 nodoubt about it. Now 17. Rae1! wins
the game.}
 
17. Bb5+?!
 
{White doesn’t take the quickest win. 17. Rae1! creates winning threats out
thewazoo.}
 
17…Bd7??
 
{Reinstating the previous possibility. After the forced 17…Kf7 18. Bxa4 and
Blackcan once again liquidate with 18…Bxe6.}
 
18. Bxd7?!
 
{Once again, missing the quick win, 18. Rae1.}
 
18…Qxd7 19. Rfe1
 
{Good, but 19. Qg5! is more to the point increasing the strengthof the text.}
 
19…Kf7 20. Ng5+
 
{More to the point is 20. Qg5 once again.}
 
20…Kg6?! 

{This just speeds up the inevitable loss} 

21. Rad1
 
{Even stronger is 21. Nf3! with the idea of Qg5+.}
 
21…Rae8 22. Ne6 Qd6??
 
{22…Kf7 was forced in order for black to stay in thegame. This falls into the
forced matingnet.}
 
23. Qg5+ Kf7 
 
{Good game by both sides. Remember to keep your king safe by castling early. 
Also, remember to utilize your advantageswhile minimizing the drawbacks of
your position.}

24. Qxg7 1-0
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W41"]
[Black "B41"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00041.6.04 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6
4.d4 cxd4 
 
{Interesting idea to play 4.d4. Bb5 and Bc4 are also
possible here. Black heads into the "Little Center." 
Several idea to attack this center would be to get in
f5, Bxe6, Nxe6, Nd5. The move e5 can also be
disruptive to the Black center. Another common idea
for attacking this set up is to play c4. There are
two essential elements here. First, prevent Black
from freeing himself with …d5. Second, play the KB to
the a2 - g8 diagonal (Bobby Fischer). This
opportunistic diagonal has paid rich rewards to many
players. Key squares for White are d5 and e6. White
tends to attack on the Kingside, while Black aims at
the Queenside. Control these and win. Black
meanwhile wants to pressure the pawn at e4 (and
support …d5). Black's main strategy tends to be to
head to the endgame as soon as possible (the pawn
structure favors Black in the endgame). All this
would fit into the idea of playing 4.d4}
 
5.Nxd4 d6 6.Be2 Be7 7.0-0 Nf6 
8.Bg5 0-0 9.Qd2 Qb6 
 
{9…Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Bxg5 12. Qxd6 Be7
should give Black a safe comfortable game after 13.
Qxd8 Rxd8. Meanwhile 13. Qg3 Qb6 gives Black
persistent pressure thanks to the Bishop pair.}
 
10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Rab1 Rd8 12.Rfd1 Qc7
13.Qf4 h6 
 
{Also worth considering is 13. Bf3.}
 
 14.Bh4 g5 
 
{14…g5?? Ouch. Black risks opening the Kingside.}
 
15.Bxg5 hxg5 
 
{An idea for Black would be 15…e5. But, I'm not sure
this gains much over the game.}
 
16.Qxg5+ Kh8 17.e5 
 
{Sweet. This is one of those killer positional ideas
that few young players would consider. If you keep up
with the positional excellence… Anyway, White blocks
Black's ability to defend the Kingside. Either there
will be doubled e - pawns or black will have to give
up material.}
 
17…dxe5 18.Rxd8+ Bxd8 19.Rd1 Bb7 20.Bd3 
 
{Ouch. A common idea after the g and h pawns have
vanished is to get a Rook to the one of the files. 
The "perfect" move is to play 20. Rd3. After this I
don't think that Black can defend himself. For
instance, Black has two moves that make sense 20…Nh7
and 20…Qe7. On 20…Nh7 21. Qh5 c5 22. Rh3 f5 23. Qe8+
Kg7 24. Qxe6 shatters Blacks pawns and exposes Black
to all sorts of interesting things. On 20…Qe7 21.Rg3
Black is in serious trouble. 21…Ng4 22. Rh3+ Nh6 23.
Rxh6# or 21…Qf8 22. Bd3 e4 23. Rh3+ Nh7 24. Qh5 Qg7
25.Nxe4. Then there is 22..Nh7 23. Qxe5+ f6 24. Qxe6.
 From this point on White's game begins to
deteriorate. Black must have been very happy at this
point.}
 
20…c5 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Qg5+ Kf8 23.Qh6+ Ke7 
 24.Qg7 e4 25.Bc4 Qe5 26.Nb5 Bc7 
 
 
{Also working is 26…e3. Stronger is 26…Bd5 27. Be2
e3}
 
27.g3 
 
{Your strength, in this game, is a strong positional
feel that is rare in young players. You seem to have
two weaknesses. First, you do not demonstrate a
willingness to attack, even though you had positional
justification. This tends to come from lack of
experience and lack of knowing basic attacking motifs.
 Second, you don't seem to understand the idea of the
opening. (Very few do, in OTB. Play postal and you
will learn the ideas very quickly or lose badly,
quickly.) I would suggest that you switch to the
Queen's Gambit to capitalize on your positional
awareness. Work on the common tactical ideas, learn
patterns. Maybe one thing that will help you in the
area of attack is to pick up a gambit as a "change up"
style (what you pull out for fun or when you've been
scouted at a tourney). This will add spice (not to
mention confusion) to your opponent's life. If you
want to work on your positional understanding, study
the games of Karpov - who just happens to be creative
attacker. (I can hear the laughter of those who have
never studied his games.) Also read Silman's "How to
Reassess" book, if you haven't done so already. When
all else fails, I'm looking for new students! (LOL)} 
 
27...e3 0-1
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W42"]
[Black "B42"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00042.6.05 Analyzed by Candidate Master Charles Oberweiser
 
This is my friend, Tim Smith's, exhibition game before 
the actual tournament. This was not at tournament time 
controls (40 moves/120 minutes, 20 moves/60 minutes, 
and 30 minutes), but it was at 90 minutes for each side 
for all moves. I was at this tournament with him and 
helped him prepare his openings for the psychological 
aspect of his opponent.}
 
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4
 
{We thought this would be our best weapon against Tom 
because he tends toward the Hungarian opening, an opening 
that begins a stream of tactical ideas that usually favor 
white. We wanted to accentuate the fact that Tim is a 
Kasparov-like calculator.}
 
3. Be7
 
{Sure enough. He played the Hungarian. Everything's 
according to plan.}
 
4. d4 exd4?!
 
{We didn't expect this. This is an inferior move because it 
allows the white e-pawn to drive back the black pieces. 
4. d6 is indicated completing development.}
 
5. c3!?
 
{Tim usually plays the sharp 5. 0-0 here, but he surprised 
his opponent. This gives the game numerous complications.}
 
5. Nf6?
 
{Tim quoted in post-game analysis, "I'm surprise he played 
this move. In order to not lose tempi he must weaken his 
kingside. Right from this moment I knew my game plan." 
Better was 5. Na5 taking advantage of the exposed 
position of the white bishop where white would respond 
with 6. Qxd4.}
 
6. e5!
 
{Punishing black's inaccuracy the first time he gets a 
chance. This pawn needed to be restrained with d6 before 
the king's knight would come out a la Nimzovich.}
 
6. Ne4 7. Bd5!
 
{This move prevents d5 to protect the newly-attacked 
e4-knight so Black has to weaken his kingside in order 
to not lose tempi.}
 
7. f5?! 8. cxd4
 
{A simple glance at the position will show that white 
has built up a strong mobile center. Black needs to 
attack it at once or he will risk being crushed. 
White's main problem is the e4-knight.}
 
8. Bb4+?!
 
{Moving the same piece twice allowing White to build up 
time (development) and initiative. While this isn't a 
huge blunder in itself, it can be pounced on in the long 
run with accurate play. Better was 8. Nb4 (I know, 
moving the same piece twice again, but this time it's 
dislodging the central bishop in order to get the strong 
9. d5! with counterplay). Also better than the text 
is 8. d6 cracking at the white center, though succumbing 
to the shot 9. Qa4!.}
 
9. Bd2
 
{Giving up the two bishops for an advantage in time.}
 
9. Nxd2 10. Nbxd2 Ne7?
 
{Moving an already-developed piece once again. One may 
be thinking it's attacking the bishop so it's all right, 
but in this position due to black's open king and his 
newly undefended bishop, Tim came up with a tactic that 
gains considerable advantage while eliminating black's 
right to castle. It must be said, however, that if Black 
continues correctly he could establish a strong knight 
at d5. However, in the opening, there usually isn't 
time for these kind of maneuvers. Tim suggested 1. 0¦a5 
or 10. g5 as creating counterplay for Black. He didn't 
provide the line for 10, g5 which leaves me speculative, 
but I agree with 10. a5 for sure. Though 10. g5 11. a3 Ba5 
12. Nh4 Bxd2+ (if 12. gxh4, then mate in two with 13. Qh5+!) 
13. Kxd2 g4 does look good for black now that I take a second 
look.}
 
11. Bf7+! Kxf7 12. Qb3+ Ke8?! 13. Qxb4 a5?
 
{This move does not help development nor does as much 
constructive work as it would've done on move 10. This 
is black's first major mistake. Tim mentioned to me that, 
"13. b6 was undoubtedly the best move because 13. d6 
fails due to the fact it opens up the position while the 
black king is in the center and 13. d5 obviously fails 
because it produces the well-protected passed e-pawn 
that's ready to push after 14. 0-0 and 15. Rfe1. 13. b6 
is the only solid way to develop because white's pressuring 
black to a huge extent due to the powerful center built up." 
I agree. 13. b6 followed by 14. 0-0 Bb7 15. Rfe1 Nd5 
(hopping into the fine outpost blockading the advance of 
the d-pawn) and black doesn't stand as badly.}
 
14. Qc4 d5 15. Qc3 f4?!
 
{Black really was in time trouble which is why, I think, 
that these blunders are occurring in a row like this. 
Nothing called for an immediate 15. f4. Better was the 
slow buildup with 15. Rf8.}
 
16. Rc1?!
 
{Keeping the initiative going. White probably should've 
castled first and played Rfe1 in order to get the e-pawn 
rolling right away.}
 
16. c6 17. 0-0 Rf8?
 
{Giving white everything he could want. Straying from 
anything logical. White has so many threats right now, 
that one would think black would need to defend against 
a few. 17. Qb6 is a much stronger move to the text with 
pressure down the b-file and on white's center.}
 
18. Rfe1
 
{Continuing his plan.}
 
18. h6?
 
{Tim said to me in an email, "18. h6? was a computer-like 
move that intends 19. g5 and prevents white playing Ng5. 
To tell the truth, I was expecting either 18. a4 
(preventing Nb3-c5) and Qc7 intending a c5 push after due 
preparation or 18. Kf7 manually creating a castled position. 
After 18. h6 I knew he's not able to create a safe place 
for his king for the rest of the game." I believe that 
18. h6 was a rather inaccurate move as well. More 
active were the ones that Tim indicated and 18. Rf5!?.}
 
19. Rcd1
 
{The main idea here is to over protect the base of white's 
center (d4) to allow the white knight at d2 to make it's 
way to c5. Even better was probably 19. Re2 (to allow the 
knight retreat to e1-d3-c5 if the opportunity arises itself) 
g5 20. h3 (now intending Nh2-g4 and eliminating all black 
counterplay) Rg8 21. Nh2 and white has a great game. The 
text has the drawback of allowing black to create something 
on both wings.}
 
19. Bf5
 
{Developing his bishop, but allowing 20. Nb3 without problems. 
Better was 19. g5.}
 
20. Nh4?!
 
{Tim mentioned to me that this move was mainly due to time 
pressure because he blitzed this one out. He admitted, 
"I missed the stronger line 20. Nb3 b6 21. Nc1 g5 22. Ne2 Rc8".}
 
20. Bg4 21. Rc1 g5
 
{21. Be6 was more useful than the text at this point 
because it blockades white's strong e-pawn.}
 
22. Nhf3
 
{This proves that white knew he made a mistake because he 
had nothing else in store for this knight here.}
 
22. Bf5?
 
{This move didn't impress me. Much more logical would be 
22. Rg8 or 22. Be6 (again, blockading the passed e-pawn 
and getting out of the way for g4).}
 
23. h3
 
{A useful move. It makes g4 less tempting and allows for 
Nh2. A nice idea.}
 
23. b6 24. Qa3!
 
{Changing direction to the weak d6 square.}
 
24. Rc8?
 
{Not the way to respond, much too defensive. However, 
there are immediate concerns that need to be considered 
like the h-pawn and a cancer spreading in his own territory! 
 Better was 24. Be6 or 24. Qd7.}
 
25. Qd6!
 
{Excellent move. The queen radiates her majesty's powers 
in all directions making black extremely uncomfortable. 
Black has nothing except defense now.}
 
25. Bg6 26. Nh2!!
 
{Beautiful! I was proud of my friend here and surprised. 
He thought for 10 minutes in a 90 minute game on this move. 
This is a Karpov-type move when he's more of a calculating 
player. Here he's bringing more pieces into the battle. 
Heading for f6 while his counterpart heads for f3.}
 
26. Kf7!
 
{A fine defensive move as well. It makes sure the bishop 
stays put and tries to find safety. If Black tried the 
resource 26. h5, Tim told me he planned 27. Ndf3 which 
would be a strong response. What made the white queen 
at d6 so powerful is that it couldn't be exchanged without 
the loss of a piece and a powerful white passed pawn at e7. 
After 26. Kf7! now exchange is possible.}
 
27. e6+
 
{The in between move. White realizes he needs to retreat 
his queen, but he wants to push the passed pawn to be a 
thorn in black's flesh first. Strong alternatives to the 
text were 27. Ng4 threatening 28. Nxh6+ and 27. Ndf3! Kg7 
28. Ng4 Nf5 , and then 29. Qa3 retreating and White has a 
strong attack going. As a matter of fact, the latter 
alternative looks stronger than the text.}
 
27. Kg8 28. Qa3?!
 
{White should've just retreated to e5 on his 28th move. 
It creates more threats. In post game analysis, Tim
 mentioned to me what he was thinking during the game here, 
"At this point I was nervous. I said to myself, 'what 
have I done'. Here black had a brilliant defense, 28. Bf5! 
followed by 29. Kg7 and black solidifies." In a post-mortem 
28. Re8 also looks interesting for black.}
 
 28. Qc7?
 
{This neglects the g4 square as well as all the other 
important squares on the kingside. He's intending c5, 
but I don't know what that does for him.}
 
29. Ndf3! c5??
 
{Again, I don't understand what this does for Black. 
Much better is 29. Bf5. All this does is opens up a 
diagonal for the white queen after the capture at 
 c5. This is a game-losing blunder.}
 
 30. Ne5?!
 
{This is a good move, but it's not the best. 30. Ng4! 
is a powerful shot that gives white the winning game and 
after 30. Kh7 31. dxc5! (a clearance capture for use of 
the a1-h8 diagonal) bxc5 32. Qc3 he has a powerful attack. 
 He saw this immediately in analysis afterwards, but during 
the game, with //time ticking down, he missed it. With the 
knight moving to e5 it's not doing it's job of preventing 
h5 anymore.}
 
30. Be8 31. Qd3?
 
{Not punishing black fully. Thanks to the d5 pawn the e7 
knight (black's elastic blockader), the b1-h7 diagonal 
doesn't have much promise for the white queen. 31. Nhg4! 
once again would be indicated. The text gives black 
some hope for counterplay by locking up the pawns and 
attacking the praised passed e-pawn with 31. Rf6!. 
This would've been a sure win for white.}
 
31. Qd6
 
{31. Rf6! is a much stronger way to attack the e-pawn 
while protecting the h-pawn. Also possible here would 
be locking up the pawns with 31. c4!.}
 
32. Qa6?!
 
{Having to make the last few moves with about 30 seconds 
each, Tim picked the less accurate of his three logical 
choices here. The important strategy here is the use of 
the a1-h8 diagonal and that's done by exchanging. 32. dxc5! 
was a fine move. Any other moves allow 32. c4! Locking 
up the pawn structure and making use of the a1-h8 diagonal 
a thing of the past.}
 
32. c4! 33. b3 c3 
 
{Of course not 33. Qxe6 because of 34. Nxc4!.}
 
34. Qd3
 
{34. Nhg4 is the strongest in the position.}
 
34. Qb4 35. Nhg4!
 
{This is still a strong move, but it's effect has diminished 
over the past few moves. Stronger yet would seem to be 
35. Nd7!}
 
35. Kg7 36. Nd7 Rh8?!
 
{After the game, Tim pointed out to me here a much stronger 
defensive opportunity. 36. Bg6! Prevents any penetration 
by the queen and after 37. Qa6, then 37. Rfd8 and black's 
still pretty solid.} 
 
37. Qa6!
 
{Even better might be 37. Qe2! Qxd4 38. Ngf6 c2 39. Rxc2 
and White has an excellent game.}
 
37. Rc6 38. Qa7?
 
{Here, white made haste quickly, answering with 38. Qa7 
after 30 seconds of thought. This isn't a bad move at 
all, but much stronger in the position is the move 38. Nge5!.}
 
38. c2??
 
{Not punishing White in the least. Far superior is 38. Qd6! 
With pressure on White's passed e-pawn. Now white has a won game.}
 
39. Ndf6!
 
{Nothing short of beautiful. A discovered attack (and pin) 
on the defensive horse at e7 and new pressure on black's 
bishop at e8. Tim's always quick to see strong tactics.}
 
39. Qd6 40. Nxd5!!
 
{Pretty. Utilizing the overworked queen and adding another 
attacker to the pinned knight.}
 
40. Kf8
 
{Forced. Anything else loses terribly. This move releases 
the pin and protects the knight once more.}
 
41. Nxe7
 
{This is a fine move. I thought it was the best in the 
position until Tim pointed out in post-game analysis 
41. Re5!! This move is a very beautiful move that rips 
the game open tactically all over the place.}
 
41. Qxe7 42. Qb8
 
{Intending 43. Qe5 with centralization.}
 
42. Kg7??
 
{Time pressure caused the game-losing blunder. Begging 
white to play what he had originally intended to win 
material. Better was 42. Qd6.}
 
43. Qe5+! Kg8?
 
{Still losing, but better, is 43. Kh7.}
 
44. Nf6+! Kf8
 
{Still losing, but better again, is 44. Qxf6.}
 
45. Nxe8!
 
{Another discovered attack. He's unleashing them one after 
the other.}
 
45. Rg8 46. Qf5+
 
{Even better is 46. d5!, though white is still winning 
undoubtedly.}
 
46. Kxe8 47. Qb5 Qd6
 
{47. Kf8 was better than the text.}
 
48. d5?!
 
{The more direct win was 48. Rxc2!!. The rest of the 
game is self explanatory. In a few cases, Tim didn't 
take the most efficient way to win or utilize the quickest 
checkmate possibilities, but he was going at about 25 
sec. on average per move towards the end.}
 
48. Ke7 49. Qxc6 Qxc6 50. dxc6 Rc8 51. Rxc2 Rc7 52. a3 h5 
53. Re5 g4 54. Rxh5 gxh3 55. Rh7+ Kxe6 56. Rxc7 a4 57. Rh7 
axb3 58. c7 bxc2 59. c8=Q+ Ke5 60. Rh5+ Kd6 61. Qxc2 hxg2 
62. Kxg2 f3+ 63. Kxf3 Kd7 64. Rh7+ Kd6 65. Ke4 b5 66. 
Qc7+ Ke6 67. Qe7 Checkmate 1-0
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W43"]
[Black "B43"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00043.6.07 Analyzed by Expert Tim Smith}
 
1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 
 
{This is the Philidor Defense with some unusual lines. 
3. Bc4 is perfectly all right, but 3. d4! offers much 
more possibilities. This is an opening where white can 
get a big advantage in the center if black's not careful. 
The first way to get an advantage was to play 3. d4. 
Again 3. Bc4 is playable.}
 
3. Bg4?!
 
{Not the best choice in opening lines. It brings the queen's 
bishop out much too early. The simple 3. Be7 or 3. Nc6 
would've sufficed. Also, the strong 3. c6! is a great 
way to take advantage of the fact that white didn't play d4 
by intending d5 himself with a strong mobile center.}
 
4. h3?!
 
{Some masters of the past have tried this, but with not much 
success. This pin is not very strong at all. There's no 
need to immediately tickle it with h3. Still attempting to 
build up your center by 4. c3 and then d4 was a more 
preferable choice. Also, played here has been 4. Nc3 with 
pressure on d5.}
 
4. Bxf3? 
 
{A mistake. The bishop should've backed up to h5. Now white will get a 
strong opportunity to attack the weak f7 point.} 
 
5. Qxf3 Nf6?
 
{Definitely bad. Much better is 5. Qd7! When the weak b-pawn 
can be defended by c6.}
 
6. d3?!
 
{You have sound development, but you're not being aggressive 
enough! 6. Qb3! Continued the strong attack (very similar 
to Morphy - Duke of Brunswick in the Philidor's Defense) 
and punished black for the mistakes of early development 
of the queen's bishop and poor motive for exchanging the bishop.}
 
6. g6?
 
{Bad, once again, due to the fact it leaves the knight poorly 
protected (in the short term) and the bishop has nothing to 
contribute to the game from that closed diagonal (long term) 
unless a center break would occur. Better was mending the 
wounds with 6. Nc6 or, in fact the aggressive 6. c6 once 
again, intending d5 when the situation permits or queenside 
expansion with b5.}
 
7. Bg5!
 
{Development with tempo. Nice.}
 
7. Bg7 8. Bxf6?! Bxf6
 
{Why exchange when your bishops are excellent?}
 
9. Nd2
 
{This move is good development. It leaves open the option 
of playing c3. The other plan would involve the d5 square 
with 9. Nc3.}
 
9. 0-0
 
{You don't want to commit your king until the center is 
defined and you have no weaknesses (g6 is your weakness 
here). 9. Nd7 or 9. c6 immediately would be indicated. 
Now the powerful attack on the h-file and a castle queenside 
can occur. Good strategy would involve confusing your 
opponent so he doesn't find the correct strategy right away.}
 
10. 0-0-0
 
{Not bad at all! Slightly better still would be getting 
the h-pawn rolling immediately with 10. h4!. 10. c3 could 
still successfully be played now to intend a center break.}
 
10. Nd7
 
{A decent developing move. However, an attack on the wing 
can't beat a counterattack in the center. 10. Nd7 isn't 
the most forcing. Better is 10. c6 once again leaving open 
b5 or d5 if it's allowed.}
 
11. h4!
 
{This begins to attack the g6 weakness and attempts to open 
the h-file. I'm impressed that each side saw the tactics 
involved in a casual yahoo game. Of course, now not 11. Bxh4?, 
then 12. Qh3! (with an x-ray attack on h7) c6 13. Qxh4 Qxh4 
14. Qxh4 and a decisive material advantage with still some 
hope for attack on the h-file.}
 
11. Bg7
 
{Required is a central counterattack with 11. c6, there 
might follow 12. h5 g5 13. Kb1 b5 14. Bb3 Nc5 and white 
has his own problems.}
 
12. h5 h6? 13. hxg6!
 
{Very nice. The opening of the h-file is deadly, while the 
f7 pawn is being massacared.} 
 
13. Nf6?
 
{Other moves also lose. 13. Qf6 14. Bxf7+! Kh8 15. Qh3 Rfd8 
16. Qe3 and white's obviously winning. If 13. Qe7, then 
14. Bxf7+! Rxf7 15. gxf7+ Qxf7 16. Qg3 and white's winning.}
 
14. Rh2?!
 
{Here you missed 14. Bxf7+ with a won game. However, you 
still have a strong kingside pressure.}
 
14. d5
 
{Good defense! Counterattacking in the center is the way 
to refute a wing attack.}
 
15.exd5?!
 
{Here you missed the intermezzo check with 15. gxf7+! Which 
opens the crucial diagonal to the black king. After 
15. gxf7+, then 15. Rxf7 16. exd5 Qd6 17. Qg3! (threatening 
Rxh6) and you have a winning initiative.}
 
15. fxg6 16. d6+
 
{16. Qg3 was preferable and much more threatening, followed 
by 16. Kh7 17. Rdh1 Nxd5 18. Ne4 with threats of Ng5+ hanging 
in the air. This position would be very uncomfortable for 
Black.}
 
16. Kh8 17. Rdh1
 
{In this position also, 17. Qg3 would make Black pay the piper 
quicker.}
 
17. cxd6 18. Qxb7 d5??
 
{This loses outright. Much, much better where black is still 
in the game is 18. h5. Now White can play the strong rook 
sacrifice 19. Rxh6+ Kg8 (if Bxh6 it's mate in a couple) 
20. Rxg6 Rf7 (the only move) 21. Rh8+! Kxh8 22. Qxf7 Qg8 
23. Rxf6 and white has an easily won game.}
 
19. Bb5?
 
{Definitely a blunder. The rook sacrifice wins more than a 
piece for nothing. This gives black real counter chances. 
For instance 19. Ng4! which snatches back the initiative 
and protects all of white's threats or the text.}
 
19. Rb8 20. Qa6?
 
{Once again, 20. Rxh6+ would seem to be in order. Now black 
has the advantage.}
 
20. Rb6?!
 
{Black doesn't capitalize immediately which he could've done 
with 20. Ng4! followed by 21. Qg5 with advantage.}
 
21. Qa4 Ng4??
 
{Of course, this just loses a piece now that the white queen 
is on a4.}
 
22. Qxg4 Rxb5???
 
{21. Ng4 DID lose a full piece. The reason is because 22. Rxb5 
leads to a forced mate! Definitely required here was 22. Rxf2 
and black is still barely hanging on, though a piece down. 
White can force a checkmate with 23. Rxh6+! Kg8 24. Qxg6 Qh4 
25. R1xh4 Rxf2 (there's nothing else) and 26. Rh8 Checkmate.}
 
23. c4??
 
{A grave error, not winning the game at the earliest moment. 
In fact, this once again gives Black counterchances.}
 
23. dxc4???
 
{Another blunder. 23. Rb6 was a required move here. White now 
has the same forced mate mentioned before. 24. Rxh6+ Kg8 
25. Qxg6 Qh4 26. R1xh4 Rxf2 27. Rh8 Checkmate.}
 
24. dxc4?
 
{Turning the tables towards black once again. This game's 
becoming a see-saw action.}
 
24. Rc5?
 
{Once again, giving white a mate opportunity, though it's 
very detailed calculation. 25. Rxh6+! Kg8 26. Qxg6 Rxc4+ 
27. Nxc4 Qg5+ 28. Qxg5 Rb8 29. Rh7 Rb7 30. Qd8+ Kf7 
31. R1h6 Rxb2 (nothing else) 32. Nxe5 for the beautiful 
checkmate.}
 
25. b4??
 
{Not playing through the winning line once again.}
 
25. Rc7?
 
{Allowing 26. Qxg6!.}
 
26. c5?
 
{This gives black hope again. This appears to be toying 
of emotions.}
 
26. a5??
 
Still allows white to take on g6. Observe: 27. Qxg6 Rff7 
28. Ne4 Qf8 29. Ng5! Rxc5+ 30. Kb1 Rc1+ (every single other 
legal move on the board is mate very interestingly!) 
31. Kxc1 Qc8+ 32. Kb2 Rxf2+ 33. Kb3 Kg8 34. Rxh6 a4+ 35. 
Ka3 Qc3+ 36. Kxa4 Qc2+ 37. Qxc2 Rxc2 and the b-pawn marches 
forward for the checkmate. This calculation is less 
impressive then it looks. There are almost all checks 
or forcing moves involved and it's much easier to calculate 
deep variations with forced moves involved.
 
27. Qe6??
 
Handing his opponent counterchances again.
 
27. axb4 28. Rxh6+
 
Finally seeing the move that was begging to be played 
forever. Still, 28. Qxg6 was still more forcing.
 
28. Bxh6 29. Rxh6+ Rh7 30. Qxe5?
 
30. Qxg6 adds to the pressure and doesn't let black slip 
in more defensive opportunities.
 
30. Rf6??
 
This hands the game to white again. 30. Qf6 was black's 
only chance.
 
31. Rxh7+?!
 
Missing the punishment for Black's last move which is 31. Rxg6!.
 
31. Kxh7 32. Ne4 Rf5 33. Qh2+ Rh5 34. Qf4 Rh1+ 35. Kb2 Qd4+ 
36. Kc2???
 
Losing the game to an accidental forced mate.
 
36. Qd1+! 37. Kb2 Qb1 Checkmate 0-1
 
This was a topsy turvy game that I'm assuming was due to 
time trouble on yahoo. You both play rather decently through 
the opening, though some lines were less than the best 
choice of theory. However, you need to work on tactics 
and exploiting weakening moves by your opponents king. 
Overall a good game.
 
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W44"]
[Black "B44"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00044.6.08 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite
 
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 c64. Nc3
 Nf6 5. e3 Bb4 6. Bd2 0-0 7. a3 
Bxc3 8. Bxc3 Ne4 9. Rc1 Nxc3 10. Rxc3 Nd7 
 
 
{I am going to assume that you are familiar with the
Opening you are playing. It is interesting that it
has taken so many twists. That is why I think that 1.
d4 openings are so fun! At this point it begins to
look like Black does not know how to transition into a
playable middle game. The QB is going to be a
liability. A "bad" Bishop. Black should have played
10…b6. Missing this idea insures that from here out
the Black position will deteriorate.} 
 
11. Bd3 Nf6 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. Ne5 
 
{With the "Bad" QB at d7 the e5 square is as secure as
it can be in a chess game. Consider the stronger idea
of 13. Qc2 and building pressure along the c - file. 
By missing this, you almost allow Black into the game.
 Some fancy footwork on the Kingside rescues the game 
from oblivion. Black's passive play also helps. On
13…Qc7, 13…Qe7, and 13…Rc8, the idea is to play Rc1
and b4 with an eye on playing e4 / c5. This position
is theoretically won for White. However turning
theory into a solid point is a different matter.} 
 
13…Qc7 14. Qf3 Qb6 
 
{Black is passively straying from anything that
resembles an idea. Time to tighten down the
thumbscrews!}
 
15. Rc2 a5 
 
{Once again Black chooses a passive move. Personally
I think that 15…c5 is black's last chance at gaining
an active game at the cost of a pawn. The fun part of
this idea is that Black should gain a passed but
isolated d - pawn. With the Queen's on the board it
looks awfully drawish. But before we awfulize Black's
play, remember that this is probably a matter of
personality. Personally, I'd rather fight in the open
than get trapped like a rat in a corner. Black does
not give White anything to think about. However, that
is a strategy that almost works. It is hard to stay
focused when the opponent wonders aimlessly. The test
is to know when the opponent is "baiting" or
"shoulding." ("Oops, I SHOULD have done that, no wait
maybe I SHOULD do this…") You learn the difference by
reading the board, not by believing your opponent.}
 
16. Rd1 a4 17. Qh3 Rfd8 18. Qh4 
 
{Nice. This is a move worthy of a Master.}
 
18… Qc7 19. f3 h6 20. c5 Rdb8 21. Rdc1 
b6
 
{Finally, your opponent's lack of focus has become
your problem. This move slyly turns the game around
almost instantly begins to give Black possibilities.}
 
 22. cxb6 Rxb6 23. Qe1 Qb7 24. e4 
 
{Ouch. O.K. you have the idea of what you want to do
down. However there are certain concrete
consideration that need to be checked. In this
instance 24…Rxb2 should give Black counter chances and
hope that liquidation will bring peace. 25. Nxd7 Rxd7
26. Rxc6 dxe4.}
 
24…Be8 
 
{A vary Karpovian idea! I like it. The position
feels dead even at this point.}
 
25. exd5 exd5 
 
{Interesting choice. This position is worthy of
further consideration and debate. I think that Black
capture with the "wrong" pawn. Consideration: the
"backward" (read weak and undefendable c - pawn), the
shattered pawn structure, the give away of the e -
file. On the other hand Black does free the entombed
Bishop - it's still "bad" but it is free. However
this is an ugly choice for Black to make. The other
way would surrender the c - file and lose control of
c7 after Qa5! Which is worse? "Wisdom is proved
right by her children."}
 
26. Qe3 Rb8 
 
{An interesting confusion of the position can occur
after 26. Rxb2. At this point Black has no play,
having drifted back to passive wondering. After the
trades, Black has the R,B, + P - vs - Q. Did I
mention the Bishop was "bad?"}
 
 27. h3 Qc7 28. Re1 Bd7 
 
{For those who are wondering, the move 28…Bxb2 looses
to 29. Rxb2 Rxb2 30. Ng4!} 
 
29. Qf2 Rb3 30. g4 Qb7 31. Ree2 Be6 32.
Qe3 Bd7 33. Qd2 Qc7 34. g5 
 
{Just when Black thought he was safe…. Black blasts
the Kingside open. Now the missing e pawn will be
fatal.}
 
34…hxg5 35. Qxg5 R3b6 36. Rg2 
 
{You give Black the wages of playing a passive game! 
Kudos. From this point on Black can only prolong the
agony.}
 
36…Ne8 37. Bh7+ 
 
{Also to be considered is the move 37. Qh6. I try to
teach my students to play the most forcing move. 
Generally this will be a check. You have chosen
wisely.}
 
37…Kf8 38. Qf4 Ke7 39. Qxf7+ Kd8 40. Rge2 
Qd6 41. Bf5 
 
{Nice, you carefully avoid trades an build pressure. 
At the same time you are doing a bit of "baiting"
yourself. 41…Bxf5 42. Nxc6+ Qxc6 43.Rxe8+ Qxe8
44.Qc7++. I enjoy a good set up. This is the second
time the Bishop has offered itself up to martyrdom!}
 
Nf6 42. Nxd7 Nxd7 43. Re8+ Kc7 44. Bxd7 Rxe8
 45. Bxe8+ Kd8 46. Kg2 
 
{Possibly stronger is 46.Qxg7. It defends against the
check and sets up the Q/R mate on the back rank. If
46…Qe7, White enters the end game with the
overwhelming odds of plus B and 4 pawns. If 46…Kxe8
47. Re2+ Qe5, it's mate in three. If 47…Kd8 48. Qg8+
Kc7 50.Qf7+ and White invest the Rook for Black's
leading lady. Here is personality at work. I prefer
to go into crushing endgames when I get the chance. 
Remember "Chess 101." First, gain a winning
advantage. Next, trade into oblivion. Always,
squelch counter play. The quickest and surest way to
do this is to nail the opponent down to a hopeless end
game. The rest of the game is mopping up.}
 
46…g5 47. Qg8 Kc7 48. Qxg5 Kb7 49. Qg4 
Kb8 50. Qg3 Qxg3+ 51. Kxg3 Rb3 52. Bxc6 Rd3 
53. Bxd5 Rxd4 54. Bc6 Ka7 55. h4 Kb6 56.
h5 Ka5 57. f4 Rd3+ 58. Kg4 Rd8 59. Rc4 
 Rd2 60. Rb4 Rc2 61. Bxa4 Rg2+ 62. Kf5 Rh2
 63. Kg6 Re2 64. h6 Rg2+ 65. Kh7 Rf2 66.
Be8 Re2 67. Bg6 Rd2 68. Kg7 Rd7+ 69. Bf7 
 Rd8 70. Re4 Rd2 71. Re5+ Kb6 72. Re6+ Kc7
73. h7 Rh2 74. Rh6 Rg2+ 75. Kf8 Rxb2 76.
h8=Q Rb8+ 77. Be8 Rb5 78. Qg7+ Kb8 79. Bxb5 
 Kc8 80. Ba6+ Kd8 
 
{Suggestion for improvement: Tighten up the
positional aspect of your game. You seem to have
tactics down but you also seem to drift when nothing
tactical is available.}
 
81.Rd6++
 
1-0
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W45"]
[Black "B45"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00045.6.09 Analyzed by Master Daniel Waite}
 
1. g1-f3 f7-f6 
 
{This is a major opening error. 
This pawn move does not aid in development and blocks 
the best King Knight move. It does not develop a 
piece. It does not control central squares (1…f5 for 
instance does). It creates weakness on the Kingside.}
2. b1-c3 c7-c6 3. d2-d4 d7-d5 4. c1-f4 
{Interesting and "correct." Unfortunately "correct" 
in chess is not always the "best." When an opponent 
is cobbled up like this ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK! Here 
4.e4 leads to a significant advantage due to White's 
central control and Black's lack of development.}
4…b8-a6 5. h2-h3 {"Lasker's rule" states: "Always 
distrust a pawn move." The reason is that all pawn 
moves change the game, forever. You can move any piece 
back and forth, but when a pawn moves it can't go 
back. Thus you see the permanent nature of the pawn 
move. Many players in your class tend to be afraid of 
"shadow" threats (…Bg5). Silman's rule is "if you see 
a threat, look for a way to ignore it." Lasker urged, 
"defend with as little effort as possible." Typically 
this pin is an illusion, especially before a person 
castles. It's only real purpose is to control the 
dark squares on the Kingside (and possibly the 
center).}
5…h7-h6 6. a2-a3 {Having protected the Kingside, 
you now seal off the Queenside. While this seems 
prudent you must remember a simple idea. Now repeat 
after me, "always play in the center." Remind 
yourself that if you do not play in the center you 
will spend eternity attempting to win the E class at 
your local tournament. It is a simple concept, but it 
is amazing how few of us catch on to it. Only play on 
the side if there is a GM approved reason.} 
6…g7-g5 7. f4-d2 {Not bad but it is a waste of a good 
move. Why did you put your bishop on f4 to begin 
with? To control the middle? To control the 
Queenside? Well, then what is it doing on d2? You 
have just wasted a good wish (to get to move twice in 
a game - here was that extra move you wanted). If you 
were to play Bg3/h2 then you could still do the 
control thing.}
7…e7-e6 8. e2-e3 c6-c5 {Count the pawn moves 
your opponent has made so far. Because the game 
remains closed Black survives 60 moves longer than he 
should have. When you see this many pointless moves 
from your opponent, show no mercy. Go after him, 
sacrifice material to open lines if you have to. 
These are easy points!}
9. f1-b5+ c8-d7 10. b5xa6 {Interesting choice. I 
like it. It creates some interesting possibilities on 
the Queenside.}
10…b7xa6 11. d4xc5 f8xc5 12. b2-b4 {Fingers 
off the wing pawns!}
12…c5-d6 13. d1-e2 {Again missing the chance to crack 
the game open with 13.e4}
13…d7-b5 14. c3xb5 a6xb5 15. e2xb5+ {Good 
exchange idea!}
15…d8-d7 16. f3-d4 a7-a6 17. b5xd7+ {I'm not 
a fan. Typically when you are up the idea is to avoid 
exchanges in favor of building pressure. Then there 
is the idea that once a material advantage is obtained 
trade into oblivion. It takes experience to know 
which to employ and when. The key to this is to know 
how to win an endgame. When you can go into a "won" 
endgame, but all means go for it! The fewer pieces in 
the middle game the easier the defense - typically. 
This move shows lack of confidence. If you lose make 
sure it is not due to lack of courage (Tal, if I 
remember correctly.)}
17…e8xd7 18. o-o? {Allowing Black to equalize 
immediately. Black has all sorts of weaknesses and 
while you can castle you do not have to castle! I 
know we preach that you should castle as soon as 
possible but that is only part of the idea. The 
complete context is to castle as soon as safely 
possible with a reason. In other words, play with the 
end in mind. Play with a plan. What does the 
position demand? 18.Bc3! attacks Black's confused 
Kingside.}
18….g8-e7 19. a1-e1 e6-e5 20. d4-f3 e7-f5? 
{Black gives up the initiative. …Rac8 is the move.} 
21. e3-e4 d5xe4 22. e1xe4 h8-e8? {Giving 
White more targets than can be possibly covered.}
23. c2-c4 {Another good idea is 23. g4.} 
23…a6-a5 24. c4-c5 {Excellent. I like how 
Silman encourages, "when you see a threat, look for a 
way to ignore it!" Now you have the luxury of 
ignoring further threats.}
24…d6-c7 25. d2-c3 {b5 gives White two passed 
pawns and serious attacking potential on the 
Queenside. For instance Bd1 then B anywhere….}
25…a5xb4 26. f1-d1+ d7-c6 27. c3xb4 a8-d8 
28. d1xd8 {Rxd8 gives up the d-file. 28.Ree1 is 
best.}
28…e8xd8 29. g2-g4 f5-h4 30. f3xh4 g5xh4 
31. a3-a4 d8-b8 32. a4-a5 b8-d8 33. 
a5-a6 {Sure is fun when all your opponent can do is 
move back and forth! But I like getting the Rook 
behind the pawns or invading with the King.}
33… c7-b8 34. b4-a5 {Ba3!} d8-d1+ 35. g1-g2 
d1-a1 36. e4-b4 b8-a7 
37. b4-b7 a7xc5 38. b7-c7+ c6-b5 39. 
c7-b7+ {Attacking when the position does not 
justify an attack. This actually loses a piece to 
…Kd6. Either way, by attacking without positional 
justification you allow a winning advantage to 
vaporize.} 
39…b5xa6 40. a5-c3 a1-a3 41. c3-b2 a3-a2 
{…Kxb7 42.Bxa3 Bxa3 wins a piece.} 42. b7-b8 
a6-a7 {Missing …Bb6 43.Ra8+ Be7. Now 44.Bxb7 (or any 
other Bishop move) Rxf2+ destroying White's position.}
43. b8-b5 c5-b6 44. b2-c1 {this should lose 
to …Rxf2+} a2xf2+ 45. g2-h1 f2-f1+ 
46. h1-g2 f1xc1 47. b5-d5 c1-c2+ 48. 
g2-f3 c2-c3+ 
49. f3-g2 c3-c2+ 50. g2-f3 c2-c4 51. 
d5-d7+ a7-a6 
52. d7-h7 c4-f4+ 53. f3-e2 f4-f2+ 54. 
e2-e1 e5-e4 
55. h7xh6 f2-g2 56. h6xf6 g2-h2 57. 
g4-g5 h2xh3 
58. g5-g6 h3-e3+ 59. e1-f1 h4-h3 60. 
g6-g7 h3-h2 
61. f6-h6 e3-f3+ 62. f1-g2 f3-f2+ 63. 
g2-h1 f2-f1+ 
64. h1xh2 f1-g1 65. h6-h7? {Rxb6+ Kxb6 66. 
Kxg1!} b6-f2 66. h7-h6+ a6-b5 
67. h6-h5+ b5-c4 68. h5-f5 e4-e3 69. 
f5-f4+ c4-d3 70. f4-f7 d3-e2 71. h2-h3 
g1-g3+ 72. h3-h4 e2-f1 73. f7-f3 g3xf3+ 
74. h4-g4 f3-g3+ 75. g4-f4 g3xg7 
76. f4-f3 g7-f7+ 77. f3-e4 e3-e2  
{Coaches Advice: Your road to chess improvement is 
through Karpov and his type. You must become addicted 
to "positional" chess. You attacked when you should 
not have, you traded when you should not have, and you 
castled when you had a much better move. Study 
Silman's "How to Reassess your Chess" (easily the most 
useful book on chess in the last 200 years), "The 
Amateur's Mind," and "How to… Workbook." In a sense, 
I'm asking you to go back to "square one" and relearn 
the game. The idea is to teach you to play with a 
plan. It is said that a "bad" plan is better than no 
plan. When I say plan, it's not a legalism that 
controls every thought. But there are some basic 
ideas like knowing when to attack and when to defend 
that are critical. The cool part about this is once 
you have the positional ideas down, you can attack 
like a mad dog when the position calls for it. If you 
don't know then you will not pull off the brilliant 
attacks when they are available.
One piece of advice that will add 200 points to your 
playing strength right now. ALWAYS (unless there is a 
specific GM approved reason) PLAY IN THE CENTER! If 
you lose the center, you lose the game. The center 
controls the game. The center is your brain, you lose 
your brain…. OK you get the picture. You will be 
surprised when you get this one concept down with a 
passion that you will be able to play with anybody. 
(Or at least you will get that feeling.) You will 
also be a legitimate threat to anyone (just don't look 
at the rating, it messes with your mind). 
While you are doing this, consider what openings you 
do well when playing. While 1.Nf3 is a very good 
opening you must understand the ideas behind what you 
are attempting to accomplish with it. Many players 
are looking for a win in the first 10 moves. If this 
is you then 1.Nf3 is not our opening. If you are real 
good at endgames then your best route is probably 1.e4 
(assuming you can live through the typically violent 
middle games). If you like positional chess then head 
for the closed games you find in 1.Nf3, 1.c4, 1.d4. 
1.f4. If you really like odd ideas stick to 1.c4 
(English) and 1.f4 (Bird) but I wouldn't stray beyond 
those (possibly 1.Nc3 the Dunst is playable.) The 
reason for this advice is that many players like an 
opening, for whatever reason, and do poorly in it 
(typically because they 1. Do not understand it. 2. Do 
not feel comfortable in the game. 3. Are not capable 
of grasping the concepts). For instance, I attempted 
to play the Modern Benoni and was constantly beaten. 
My problem is that I did not have the maturity in the 
areas that were necessary to play the opening. 
Nothing personal, but the Benoni lived up to its name 
(son of my sorrow). Meanwhile they rule with an 
opening that they, for whatever reason, do not like. 
I used to play the English but abandoned it for more 
popular openings. A while back I did an inventory and 
discovered that I did well in English type positions 
and won 80% of my games. So when I'm in an important 
game that I want to win, what opening do I play? 
(Hint: It's not 1.e4!)}
 
78. e4-d3
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W46"]
[Black "B46"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00046.6.10 Analyzed by Candidate Master Daniel Waite}
 
 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3.Nd2 
 Nf6 4.Bd3 c5!
 
{I'm going to leave the theoretical debate to the
Opening experts. However, White's move is not bad. 
Logically White should play e5.}
 
 5.exd5 exd5 
 
{The text keeps the game even. 5…cxd4 is stronger due
to the establishment of a strong center pawn. The
move that is tempting is 5…Qxd4. This leaves Black
with the two center pawns after 6. Ngf3 cxd4. For the
extra pawn, White leads in development. However, I
doubt that White can capitalize at this point.} 
 
6.dxc5 Bxc5 
 
{Natural. You might consider the placement of the QN
on d7 with 6…O-O 7. Nb3 Nbd7. Then on 8.Nxc5 Nxc5
leaves Black with an edge in control of the center.}
 
7.Qe2+ Be6 8.Ngf3 Nc6 9. O-O 
 O-O 10. Nb3 Bb6 
 
{A move that is very subjective. Personally I think
the Bishop belongs on d6. 10…Bd6 is much more
aggressive since the Bishop has plans for the
Kingside. Also the square f4 tends to be a key post
for White in the Tarrasch. The advantage of the
Bishop at b6 is that it freezes the Rook at f1.}
 
11. Bg5 Re8 12. Qd2 h6 
 
{Brave. This move baits 13. Bxh6 when you have the
choice between 13…gxh6 and 13…Ne4. Unfortunately for
White the sac at h6 is not entirely sound.}
 
13. Bh4 Bg4 14. Qf4 Bc7 
 
{White's move is not bad. The idea is to attempt an
"instant" endgame where White's pawn structure is
superior. Also it stops …Qd6 which is a natural
freeing move and gives you plenty of opportunity to
lose material. You avoid these pitfalls. A stronger
consideration in this position would be the move
14…Bxf3. After 15. Qxf3 Ne5 Qf5 16. Nxd3 17.cxd3 the
possibility of 17…Rd2 comes close to working. 18. Nd4
Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Qd6. The question is which will be
stronger, the Bishop or the Knight. In the endgame
with pawns on both sides, the Bishop is favored. 
However, White's pawns are just as ugly as yours and
the e-file and the second rank belong you. Unless the
opponent is an IRS agent…}
 
15. Qxg4 Nxg4 16. Bxd8 Raxd8 17. Bb5 
 
 
{17. Rae1 or 17. c3 and the position is lifeless. 
With Bishops of opposite colors it looks drawish.}
 
17. … a6 18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. Nfd4 c5 
 
{Ouch! You miss the second chance at gaining a
permanent advantage. 19…Bxh2 20. Kh1 Be5 21. Nxc6 (on
21. Rad1 then choose between …Bxd4 and …Rc8) 21…Bxb2. 
Black has an extra pawn and White has a shattered pawn
structure. Black has a reasonable shot at winning the
end game.}
 
 20. Nxc5 Bxh2+ 21. Kh1 Bd6 (?)
 
{I agree with your "?" to a certain point. It does
offer the exchange that occurs in the game but that
does not really do you damage. About the only other
reasonable possibility would be 21…Be5 "forcing"
either 22. Rad1 or 22. c3.}
 
22. Nb7 Rd7 23. Nxd6 Rxd6 24. Kg1 
 
 
{Sweet! This subtle idea invokes many possibilities. 
Take some time to ponder this point.}
 
24…g6 
 
{Ouch again. Try 24…Rb6. The Knight without a target
is only taking up space. I know the proverbial idea
of taking away the Knight's advance points but in this
case it opens the door for White to gain a comfortable
position. When you have positional justification -
ATTACK! The move …g6 can be played later. The idea
is to inspire those Queenside pawns to move and weaken
themselves before your opponent can fix the a-pawn and
pick it off.}
 
25. Rad1 
 
{O.K. Your GM returns the favor. 25. Rae1 grabs space
and almost wins the endgame by force. You might
benefit by the study of isolated pawn play. The
isolated pawn is safely blocked. Controlling the
e-file would cut off the support of the King. The
fatal attack on the blocked pawn must come either from
behind or beside the pawn. This can't be achieved
with the Rook on d1. It's unbelievable that a GM
would miss this move. You get time to set up an
adequate defense.}
 
25…Rd7 
 
{Nice! This is about the only chance you have to
protect your weakness. White should now shift the
attention to immobilizing the a-pawn and finding a way
to pile up against it. The very real problem is going
to be that Black gets to stack the Rooks. Thus
White's response is "forced."}
 
26. Rfe1 Rde7 27. Rxe7 Rxe7 28. f3 
 Nf6 
 
{28…Ne3 is probably your last chance to win. However,
it's not likely that an advantage could be generated
off this move. It does confuse the race to the center
and Queenside and makes White's King unstable. The
idea is to follow it up with …f4, …f5 and the strong
pawn storm on the Kingside.} 
 
29. Kf2 Kf8 30. Rd3 Rb7 31. Rb3 
 Rxb3 32. Nxb3 Nd7 
 
{Your opponent seems to be counting on the general
ignorance of endgames among the average population. 
This move demonstrates a keen understanding of the
endgame. It keeps the King and opposing Knight from
penetrating. It prevents White from promoting a pawn
on the Queenside. Basically you kill the position.}
 
33. Ke3 Ke7 34. Kd4 Kd6 35. Nd2 
 f5 
 
{Also 35…Nc5. BTW, did you notice that you have
"opposition?"}
 
36. c4 dxc4 37. Nxc4+ Ke6 38. b4 
 g5 39. a4 h5 40. b5 axb5
41.axb5 h4 (keep them doggies rollin')
 42. b6 g4 43.fxg4 fxg4 44. Ke3 
 h3 45. gxh3 gxh3 46. Kf3 h2 
 47. Kg2 
 
{Excellent game! You avoided your chances to lose
and have a game suitable for framing. You missed two
opportunities to win material but you controlled the
game well. Possibly the strategy of simplifying into
an end game will be your best chance of improving your
rating. Consider "instant" endgame openings -
assuming you have the patience to learn endgames
really well. Nunn's book on Rook & Pawn endgames and
Silman's Endgames are basic reading. BTW, against a
stronger opponent, I'm always looking for a way to
simply into a winning (or equal) endgame. It may be a
"boring" way to play but I've collected many scalps.}
 
47...Nxb6 
 
 1/2 - 1/2
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W47"]
[Black "B47"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00047.6.16 Analyzed by Expert Tim Smith}
 
1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c5 3. dxc5
 
{This is the King's Indian transposing into the Krause variation of the 
Grunfeld Reversed. c5 is an aggressive move attacking your center. Dxc5 is playable if you get all your development done in quick fashion, but it's generally not good to surrender the center. Much more aggressive and to the point is c4 transposing into the Tarrasch variation of the Queen's Gambit which is a much more aggressive attacking line for you undermining his center. As occurred later in the game, he possessed powerful center pawns which he could've used to his advantage if he chose.}
 
e6 4. Bf4 Bxc5 5. e3 a6?
 
{3....e6 by your opponent was a mistake. He could've and should've kept up with development of his king knight to f6 giving his queen pawn strength with a developing move and also taking command of your K4 square. Rather than the text, you should've considered playing 4. Be3 with the idea of fianchettoing your king bishop and retaining the extra pawn. Notice this will prevent black's king bishop from taking control of that powerful diagonal that you tried to get him off later in the game. After Bxc5, you played correctly by e3, but life's not easy for you. You have what is known as a pawnless center, meaning no pawns on the fourth rank. Your opponent's fifth move was a blunder. He should've continued with the more logical Nf6 once again.}
 
6. Nc3 Bd7 7. Ne5 
 
{Generally, it's not a good idea to move the same piece twice in the opening, when you can bring the king bishop out and castle.}
 
Nc6 8. Nxd7 Qxd7 9. Na4? Bb4+
 
{Nxd7 is not a beneficial exchange for you because you're trading your knight for Black's bad bishop (bishop of the same color squares as his pawns are occupying). Na4 was an error because you can't chase the bishop off that diagonal and because it's never a sound idea to attack a piece that can move away unless it's for tactical reasons (decoy and deflection).}
 
10. c3 Ba5 11. b4? Nxb4?? 12. cxb4 Bxb4+ 13. Ke2 Nf6 14. f3 e5?
 
{Black has no merit for giving up a piece with 11....Nxb4; he simply gives you a material advantage. Castling is prime in importance in the opening to get your king to safety. After 13. Ke2, you are feeling the effects of 7. Ne5 (moving the same piece twice instead of preparing to castle via Be2 etc.) which you played earlier. Black should've castled on his 14th move rather than sacrificing another pawn for no apparent reason.}
 
15. Bxe5 Qe6 16. Bd4 0-0 17. Rb1 Ba5 18. Kf2 b5 19. Nc5
 
{Now you possess a half-open b-file with a rook controlling it and a powerful knight that cannot be chased away by pawns. Notice you put pressure on a pawn that can't move at the moment (his a6 pawn). That simply limits his rook's abilities to a passive defender.}
 
Qe7 20. Bd3 Rac8? 21. Nb3??
 
{20......Rac8 was an unwise move because it hung his a6 pawn, better for him was Rfc8. You could've taken advantage of his mistake by 21. Nxa6, where black responds 21.....Bc3 22 Rxb5 Bxd4 23 exd4 Qa7 24 Qa4, which wins two pawns and you have a much better position.}
 
Bb4 22. a3? Bd6 23. g3 Nh5? 24. Re1 f5? 25. Rc1 Rce8?
 
{22. a3 simply offered a pawn to Black which he could've taken on two 
occasions to create two passed pawns. 23....Nh5 was poor by black because he could've and should've responded with 23....Bxa3, again creating the passed pawns. 24.....f5 was Black's second missed chance. 25.....Rce8 moved the same rook again when he should've simply responded with 25.....Rxc1.}
 
26. Nc5 Qg5 27. Rg1 f4 28. exf4 Bxf4? 29. gxf4 Qh4+? 30. Kg2 Nxf4+ 31. Kh1 g5 32. Bf2??
 
{Black should've played 28....Nxf4 instead. Then, 29.....Qxf4 would have been a much better continuation for black compared to 29....Qh4+. 32. Bf2?? just loses a piece to 32....Qxf2! in which he wins a piece back and has an attack going.}
 
32...Qh5?? 33. Bg3? Nh3? 34. Rf1 Re3? 35. Be2? Nf4
 
{32....Qh5?? was a simple blunder. He should've taken your bishop without a blink of an eye. Then, instead of 33. Bg3?, you should've played 33 Nxa6 Nh3 34 Rf1 Nxf2+ 35 Rxf2 Qf7 36 Rg2 h6 37 Bxb5, which wins two pawns. Black should've responded on his 33rd move with 33....Nxd3 34. Qxd3 Qxf3+ 35. Qxf3 Rxf3, keeping the game equal and trading down to an endgame where his passed pawns would've ruled the day (two pawn majorities and a passed pawn in the center). Then instead of 35. Be2?, you could've won another pawn via 35. Qb3 Kg7 36. Qxd5 Rfxf3 37. Be5+ Kh6 38. Rxf3 Rxf3 39. Nxa6. Another possible continuation that would win you a pawn might be 35. Qb3 Rexf3 36. Qxd5+ Qf7 37. Be4 Rxf1 38. Rxf1 Nf4 39. Qxf7+ Rxf7 40. Nxa6 with a good position to win the b-pawn as well.}
 
36. Bxf4 gxf4 37. Rg1+ Kf7 38. Rg4 Qe5? 39. Nd7! Qb2???
 
{38.....Qe5 was bad defense of the pawn for the reason you exploited in move 39. He should've played 38.....Ke7. 39....Qb2??? was a grave mistake in which you could've won the game by forcing checkmate in 8 moves via 40. Qxd5+ Ke7 41. Qc5+ Kd8 (If Kxd7 it's mate in 6) 42. Qc8+ Ke7 (forced) 43. Qxf8+ Kxd7 44. Qf7+ Kd6 45. Qc7+ Ke6 46. Rc6+ Kf5 47. Qxf4++ With perfect play by Black, you could've had a forced win in 8 moves.}
 
40. Rxf4?? Ke7 41. Rxf8?? Rxe2 42. Qg1 Rxh2+ 43. Qxh2 {forced} 
Qxc1+ 44. Qg1 Qh6+ 45. Qh2 Qc1+ 46. Kg2 Qg5+?
 
{40. Rxf4? was a mistake because you could've had a forced mate. 41. Rxf8?? was an error because you could've simply won the rook with 41. Nxf8. 46.....Qg5+? was an error by your opponent because 47. Qg3 Qd2+ 48. Kh3 Qh6+ 49. Qh4+ Qxh4+ 50. Kxh4 Kxd7 51. Rf6 a5 52. Rf7+ Ke6 53. Rxh7 which results in captures to bring you to an endgame with you more than a piece up in material. He should've played 46.....Qd2+ keeping the captures to a minimum. The reason is because it's generally not good to trade down when you're behind in material because it will lead to a lost endgame.}
 
47. Kf2? Qd2+ 48. Kg3 Qg5+ 49. Kf2 Qd2+ 50. Kg3 Qg5+ 51. Kh3 Qh6+ 52. Kg2 Qd2+ 53. Kh1 Qe1+ 54. Qg1 Qh4+ 55. Qh2 Qe1+ 56. Kg2 Qd2+ 57. Kg3?? {Draw by 3-fold repetition.
 
You absolutely do not want to draw when you're ahead in material, though I can understand that it's hard to remember all the positions you've played twice after so many moves. You had a superior position in many instances in this game, but you should try to learn to exploit your opponent's weaknesses and open up your mind to tactical possibilities. Good overall game.}
 
1/2-1/2
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W48"]
[Black "B48"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00048.6.18 Analyzed by Expert Tim Smith}
 
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. b4 cxb4
 
{The Sicilian Defense Wing Gambit Deferred is a rare line 
in the Sicilian because both sides would end up with a 
slightly poor position in their different respects with 
long-term advantages siding with Black. The natural 3. d4 
is a much better response for white increasing his advantage 
in central space while not making any positional or tactical 
compromises.
 
Now Black has two options. 1. He should try to retain 
the extra pawn, which is not a difficult task to do in 
this variation making it a slightly incorrect gambit 
(not as bad as the Morra though) or 2. He should attempt 
to gain development and initiative with Nf6 (the stronger 
line - for details, look at annotation about move 4. Nf6).}
 
4. d4 Nf6 5. Nbd2 g6?! 6. Bb2? Bg7
 
{Immediately, White claims the black central squares as his 
with 4. d4. He intends maximum piece deployment and speedy 
development, while gaining space. Arguably, it's the best 
move on the board.
 
4...Nf6 a move earlier, declining the gambit, was probably 
a stronger opening line theoretically as opposed to the 
accepting of the gambit. Typically the best way to refute 
a gambit is to accept it as you did, but not if you can 
gain so much time, development and static advantages in pawn 
structure that you can create a won game before the opening 
ends. Observe: After 3. Nf6, a line might be 4. bxc5 Nxe4 
5. cxd6 Nc6 6. Bd3 (required in order to keep black's 
advantage in time less felt and because the queen's bishop 
can come out actively on b2, not requiring the movement of 
the d-pawn) Nf6 7. Nc3 e5 8. d7+ Bxd7 9. 0-0 Bd6, and 
you have an advantage in time (2 tempi as black!) with open 
lines, attacking chances, and an advantage in pawn structure. 
A master would typically consider those advantages unrealistic 
with perfect play by white, but it's very achievable after 
3...Nf6 in this opening variation which is a main reason 
this line hasn't been analyzed in depth over the years. 
But, since you accepted the gambit on move 3, 4. Nf6 was 
a logical and required move.
 
I question your idea at move 5, not just the specific move 
you made. It's not a bad idea certainly. A fianchettoed 
bishop is needed in the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian 
to coordinate a queenside attack, but in this precise 
position, due to all the open lines not usually there as 
well as a pawn you're now trying to hold on to, 5. e6 would 
seem more logical setting up a Scheveningen-type formation, 
the purpose being mainly to allow the queen's knight to 
come out without being harassed, which otherwise would occur 
by Bb5 and d5. Observe the resulting position after you 
play 5. e6 with the following line: 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 
0-0 8. Qe2 Nc6 9. Bb2 (mainly threatening 10. d5 with 
the unleashing of a dangerous bishop harping on the king) 
d5 in which you're successfully defending your b4 pawn 
remaining a pawn ahead, while now possessing the c4 outpost 
on your half-open c-file.
 
6. Bb2 was the first positional blunder by white. White 
should've put the question to the limiting pawn by Rb1 and 
an eventual a3 because it's not easy to defend it after your 
faulty 5th move. Another reason it's important to eliminate 
that annoying b-pawn is to allow him to advance to c4 
increasing his spatial plus. The text is a move without 
specific purpose. It's unclear yet where the queen's bishop 
should reside. Also, later in the game in order to activate 
that bishop, it requires giving up control of e5 with a pawn 
as well as loses time by not attacking with the advance.}
 
7. Bd3 0-0 8. Qc1? Bd7? 9. d5 e6 10. Bc4 exd5!
 
{7. Bd3 is a typical developing move adding pressure 
on the center. It isn't the best one, however. In this 
position, e2 is a much better post for the bishop. The 
advantage at e2 is one of avoiding the cramp that d3 entails 
and the supporting eventual kingside expansion via h4-5 
destroying black's fianchettoed position. 
 
8. Qc1 was an extremely questionable move by your brother. 
It doesn't seem to have any active plan associated with it 
at all according to his next moves. I'm not sure whether 
he played it to unpin a possibly pinned knight at f3, to 
push the c-pawn (a good plan, but a bad first move to carry 
it out), or to clear d1 for a different piece. Whatever 
his initial thought was with that move, if he had any, he 
didn't follow up. Much better is a3 or castling immediately, 
which continue to undergo a plan. Observe the resulting 
position after this line: 8. a3 bxa3 9. Rxa3 Nc6 
10. 0-0 Nb4 11. Be2. Things look about as decent as 
they can with white after his previous play.
 
8. Bd7 was your first major strategically related mistake. 
D7 is the worst square for the queen's bishop. This is a 
passive and hindering move as opposed to 8. Nd7 the ideal 
move for the situation. Even 8. Bg4 had its own merit. 
The reason 8. Nd7 would be preferred is because it allows 
for the excellent queenside play including the moves: a6, 
b5, Bb7, Qc7, Rc8, Nb6 following with Nc4 supported by the 
b-pawn and heavy pieces on the c-file. Another major plus 
of having the heavy pieces on the c-file is the pressuring 
of white's backward c-pawn. Bd7 hindered the plan the board 
wanted you to play.
 
9. d5 was a poor choice of move by white. First off, he 
wrongly developed his bishop to b2 earlier in the game making 
it a handicap that he's trying to get rid of now, secondly, 
he's wasting time trying to activate it, lastly he gave up 
control of the important e5 square with a pawn. Much better 
was the obvious 9. 0-0.
 
It's good that you played by principle (opening up the 
position when your opponent hasn't castled), but it leads 
to a dead end since he can castle with one move at any 
time. Better was Na6 trying to get your rooks into play 
and protecting your pawn that you're trying to hold onto.
 
Instead of moving a piece twice in the opening by 10. Bc4, 
white should've taken his "reasonable" opportunity to castle!}
 
11. exd5? Re8+! 12. Kf1 b5 13. Bd3 Nxd5 14. Bxg7 Kxg7
 
{11. exd5 was a poor move. 10. Bc4 would've been a tiny bit 
more reasonable if he would've captured d5 with it. After 
11. exd5 white's game starts to go downhill.
 
11. Re8+ is making powerful use of the e-file to white's 
demise.
 
Still better than 12. b5 is 12. Na6 getting the rest of your 
forces into the battle. Again, instead of 13. Nxd5, 13. Na6 
was once again indicated. The "material advantage" after 
what you played was only illusory and it also allowed white 
to swap black-squared bishops weakening your king.} 
 
15. Qb2+ Kg8 16. Be4 Bc6 17. Bxd5 Bxd5 18. Qxb4 Qf6
 
{15. Qf6 was preferable to the text.
 
Preferable to 18. Qxb4 was a3 still winning the pawn, 
however also un-isolating the a and c pawns.}
 
19. Re1 Rxe1+ 20. Nxe1 a6 21. h4 Nc6 22. Qg4 h5 
23. Qh3 Bxa2
 
{Much better than 19. Re1 was Qd4, because it attempts to 
trade heavy pieces and gain the initiative after white 
retakes with the knight because it compels black to do 
something about the hanging pawn.
 
Instead of 21. h4, your brother should've looked to the 
other wing of the board and played a4 attempting to isolate 
your a-pawn after the trade.
 
Better than 22. h5 was Qa1 taking advantage of him not 
retreating the Queen to b1 on his 22nd move.
 
23. Qh3 was an incorrect retreat. You shouldn't back 
you queen into the edge. She needs to be centralized. 
23. Qe2 was indicated, taking control of the open e-file 
and preventing black's rook from doing the same. In 
response, 23. Re8 (remember, chess is a team game!) was 
better than 23. Bxa2.}
 
24. Qf3 Qxf3 25. Ndxf3 Re8 26. g4?? 
 
{24. Qa3 was better than the text because it's generally 
a poor idea to trade pieces being down in material.
 
25. Re8 wasn't as forcing as the immediate Bc4+. You 
were probably setting up the trap that white fell into, 
but you should play the most forcing moves.
 
26. g4 was the game-losing blunder. White went two more 
pawns down and could never recover. In case anyone was 
wondering, the line to win the extra material would be: 
26. Bc4+ 27. Kg2 hxg4 28. Nh2 Bd5+ 29. f3 gxf3+ 
30. Nhxf3 Nd4 31. Kg3 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Bxf3 and white 
loses two more pawns.
 
You both played very decently against one another for not 
playing each other in 30 years. Some tips to remember are 
not to blindly gain material when you can gain plenty of 
time and development, develop a piece one time in the opening 
to the best square (remember Bd7?), and try to work with your 
strategical game a little bit. Good overall game.}
 
26...Bc4+! 0-1
 
[Event "Analyzed Games"]
[Site "ChessDoctor.com"]
[Date "?.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "W49"]
[Black "B49"]
[Result "?"]
[ECO "?"]
 
{00049.6.19 Analyzed by Master Daniel Waite}
 
1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3
 
{Another good idea here is to play d4. These pawns make it easier to control the center. 2.d4 e5 3.d5 White has firm control of the center. The center is important because if you lose the center then you lose the game.} 2...Nf6 3.Nc3 {Developing your pieces is good. Objectively this is not the best move but this develops good habits for the novice player.} 3...e5 {This is the move I like because it gains all sorts of space in the center. The move also prepares to attack on the Kingside because of the space that is gained there. 3...e5 Welcome to the "Four Knights". The reason we have these names is to help us identify common opening sequences. Once you learn these names then you can find them in books and study them until you know them. At this point, just enjoy the King hunt.} 4.Bb5 Na5 {This is a error. There are several reasons for this judgment. First, the Knight and the Bishop are of equal value. Your Bishop move does not really immediately threaten anything. Finally, the Knight on the rim is severely restricted in its movement. As you get better you will find exceptions to the rule for concrete reasons. But for now remember, "a Knight on the rim is dim."} 5.Nxe5 {Good! You removed the defender and now you pick up the piece.} 5...Bd6 {This is not a good place for the Bishop because it blocks the advance of the d-pawn. If the d-pawn is blocked then the Queen Bishop will have difficulty developing properly.} 6.f4 {5.d4 does the same thing and completes the control in the center. I distrust this move because if you castle Kingside the g1-a7 diagonal is open to all sorts of mischief.} 6...c6 7.Bd3 b5 8.Nf3 {This move is not correct. First, it gives back material ...Bxf4. Second it signals a retreat from the center. Remember that when your Knight crosses the 4/5 line, you want to maximize the damage it causes before retreating back into your own territory.} 8...Ba6 {A blunder, that you nicely point out.} 9.e5 {Nice! One of the basic move in the "how to humiliate your opponent 101" class. The idea behind this is repeated through the GM level. The pawns being the "weakest" (read "least valuable", because they are the "least mobile") become the strongest (since they can make contact, threats, and do battle where others fear to tread!} 9...Nh5 10.exd6 Qf6 11.0-0 Qxd6 12.Ne4 {12.Re1+ Kf8 13.Ne4} 12...Qxf4 {Another mistake because of 13.Nfg5 Qe5 14.Qxh5} 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Nc5 {Chasing the unguarded Bishop on a6. This is a "one move" attack. For the novice, it's ok. However, I'd like to push you to deepen your thought process and think at least one move deeper. One problem with the "one move" attack is that it often does not take into account the opponent's threats and possibilities. Another problem is that better moves are typically available.} 14...Rae8 15.Qd1 {Always play with a plan. As yourself what your opponent is threatening and what you are threatening.} 15...Qd6 16.  b4 {Nxa6} 16...Bc8 17. bxa5? {Your Knight is much more useful than the Knight on a5. Do not trade useful pieces for useless pieces, even if they are of equal value.} 17...Qxc5+ {Remember this diagonal? It is trouble, all started by the move f4.} 18.Kh1 d5 19.c4?! {A mistake, but an interesting idea. You recognize the power of the Bishop pair. The giving of the pawn frees the Queen Bishop. A much stronger idea to free the Bishop is to play a4. [19.a4 b4 20.c3 Nf4 21.cxb4 and the Bishops are free.]} 19...Re6 20.Bb1 {Repeat after me.... "ATTACK!" "Fischer's rule" was attack something if it doesn't move take it. Unless you there are specific reasons you must attack. [20.Bf5 Ree8 21.Bxc8 Rxc8 22.cxb5 cxb5 Being a piece up gives you the luxury of opening the game up. Typically the open nature will favor the player that is best developed (or has the most material.)]} 20...Rh6 21.g4?? {OK, I've got to complain about this move. The move d4 attacks the Queen (at c5) with the pawn and the Rook (at h6) with the Bishop at the same time. The basic idea of the combination is to attack two things at the same time.} 21...Ng3+ 22.Kg2 Nxf1 23.g5 Rxh2+?? {Missing a force mate. 23...Bh3+ 24.Kh1 Qf2 and there is no stopping Qg2 mate!} 24.Nxh2 Nxh2 25.Qh1? {You needed Qc2. This move allow Black an advantage with ...Qd4 or ...g6 or ...Re8 or ...f5. You get the point.} 25...f6 26.Qxh2 fxg5 {27.Qxh7+} 27.Bxh7+ Kf7 28.Ba3 Qxa3 29.Qc7+ Kf6 30.Rf1+ Bf5 31.Rxf5+ Ke6 32.Qxc6+ {The reason for Ba3.} 32...Qd6 33.cxd5+ Ke7 {And White gets to take all Black's remaining pieces, if you want them. 27...Kf7 28.Bb2 d4 29.Bg6+ Ke6 30.Re1+ K