Hello, I tossed in a few ideas and observations for both players. HTH's
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Opening "Pirc-Robatsch"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3
Allows black to play ...d5 easily, c4 would play against black keeping a pawn at d5 long term.
2... g6
The Indian flavored wing, with ...Bg7 and central influence in mind, as well as a long term threat to the a1 rook.
3. e4
?? Loses a pawn without compensation, better is to play c4, then Nc3, then e4 can be played with confidence. Or at the very minimum, Nbd2 will cover e4, but is not recommended due to blocking the c1 bishop and the queen. An alternative is to play e3 as in the Colle opening, but then e4 is a weak point that white must consider throughout the game.
3... d6
?? Overlooks the free pawn, a quick ...Nxd4, Bd3 Nf6 and black is a pawn up.
4.
c3
?? The e4 pawn is threatened still. White telgraphs intentions for castling short and perhaps is considering some checking moves like Qa4+ or Bb5+ which are easily refuted by black.
4... Bg7
The expected continuation gives black rapid castling.
5. Bb5+ Bd7
There are 2 other alternatives, ...c6! and white loses a tempo to save the bishop which seems best, or ...Nc6, Bxc6?! bxc6 and black has the bishops pair over white at the expense of a disrupted pawn structure which is better than the text move for black.
6. Bd3
Now white has obtained a Colle like position except the typical pawn push from e3 to e4 has been skipped for an immediate, yet unsupported e4 pawn push. The text move does finally give the e4 pawn support, but black can generate threats to the bishop by ...Nc6, followed by ...e5, and either pawn exchanges at e5 initiated by white or black will free a square at b4 or e5 from which the knight can attack the bishop at d3.
6... O-O
Black has been able to play a free game without any conflict and now can begin making strategic plans.
7. Na3
?! The knight embarks on a journey, but where can it go if black plays ...a6, where only Nc4 which gives the knight no bite, or Nc2? which blocks the safety square for the d3 bishop. Objectively better is to castle, then create a game strategy.
7... a6 8. O-O
This is good.
8... Nc6
This looks like a good developing move, but the knight has no good travel plans from this square after white plays d5, and black now has to spend another move to keep the knight safe if white does not immediately play d5 next move.
9. Be3
?! The d3 bishop is safe from attack, but a bishop at e3 suffers from ...Ng4. There was the option of playing d5 to disprove blacks prior move of ...Nc6 where the knight has choices of ...Na5?!, ...Na7 or ...Nb8, all of which put the knight far from the kingside, but may work for queenside action.
9... e6
This move when observed in some games is played to prevent a knight move to d5, but white does not have that option. It does prevent white from playing d5 against the knight, but does not open a line for sliding pieces or create threats. The move tries to make up for the knight at c6 which is placed in the line of pawn fire. This is why black usually plays moves like ...a6 to support ...b5 then followed by ...Bb7 leaving the move ...Nd7 to be played and a good game.
10. Qb3
?! A more typical plan is to play Qd2 where Bh6 can be played to trade bishops and weaken blacks control of dark squares. The problem with this move is that after ...b5 the queen has no more play, or after ...Na5 is threatened.
10... b5 11. Rac1
A good move because it takes the rook off the Bg7 line. There are pawns presently blocking that line, but if pawn exchanges occur then the rook could become a target.
11... Na5
Black wins a tempo on the queen.
12. Qd1 Nb7
The knight avoids the move b4.
13. e5
? White plays for a pawn break by ...dxe5, or if not ...d5 then exd5 opens the e file, but this loses tempo next move because now d5 is open for black.
13... Nd5 14. Ng5
?? This loses the knight by ...Nxe3, fxe3 Qxg5.
14... Nxe3! 15.
fxe3 Qxg5 16. Qf3
White has a positionally lost game here due to the knight at a3 being out of play, but with a bishop down is really sunk. The text move attacks the loose knight.
16... c6
This appears best because it prevents the queen from gaining access to the 7th rank at b7 while keeping the knight safe.
17. Qf2
White appears to have no real plan at the moment, and better seems to be exd6, otherwise black plays ...dxe5, dxe5 Bxe5 gaining a pawn and a good position.
17... dxe5 18. Rce1
Its hard to recommend improvements for white at this point. The text move perhaps plans for ...exd4, exd4 with e5 controlled by pawn and rook by white.
18... exd4 19. exd4 c5
?! Black has two threats, ...cxd4, cxd4 with an isolani under fire from the bishop, and the other ...c4 gaining tempo on the bishop. White can plan Be4 to try and gain counterplay, but there are no lasting threats.
20. Be4
Black can counter this easy with ...Rb8, especially since white no longer has a black squared bishop.
20... Rad8?
?? Overlooking the threat.
21. Bxb7
White regains some material and is only a pawn down, but even with good play the bishop at g7 bears down on a lot of pawns making threats queenside very difficult for white, a draw may not be possible.
21... Bc8
This is good, prevents Bxa6 and allows ...cxd4, cxd4?? Bxd4! and game over for white.
22. Be4 cxd4 23. Nc2 dxc3
This move is better than pushing 23...d3 because it gains more material and creates a threat to Re1.
24. bxc3 Bxc3 25. Re3 Rd2
The attack can be countered by white because of the loose bishop at c3.
26. Qg3
Qxg3 27. Rxg3 Rfd8?
?? Loses the bishop, better is ...f5, Rxc3 fxe4, then black can play for a winning endgame.
[27... f5 28. Rxc3 fxe4 29. Rxf8+ Kxf8 30. Rxc8+ Ke7 31. Ne1 e3 32. Kf1 e2+ 33.
Kf2 Rxa2 34. Rc2 Rxc2 35. Nxc2 a5 36. Kxe2 b4 37. Na1 a4 38. Kd2 b3 39. Kc3 e5
40. Kb4 e4 41. Kc3 e3 42. Kd3 b2 43. Nc2 b1Q]
28. Rxc3 Re2
This is nice, a forking attack on knight and bishop.
29. Ne3 b4 30. Rc7?
?? Loses the knight, better is Rb3.
30... Rxe3 31. Bb1
White does not have much play because of uncoordinated pieces.
31... a5 32. Kf2
Re5 33. g3 Ba6 34. Re1 Rxe1
Black trades rooks with a material advantage, a good play.
35. Kxe1 Kg7
Black did not have ...Ra8? because of Be5!, but ...Rd6 can hold the bishop.
36.
Ra7 Bd3
! Enticing trades is good for black, and this is a forcing move.
37. Bxd3
Rxd3 38. Rxa5 b3
! Nice, taking away the last possible advantage for white.
39. a4
White of course avoids the trade.
39... Rd5? 40. Rxd5
?? This was not forced, but even if white plays Ra8 the both pawns will be cleared from the queenside and black has a 2 pawn advantage kingside, which should be enough to win.
[40. Ra8 b2 41. Rb8 Ra5 42. Rxb2 Rxa4]
40... exd5 41. Kd1
White now has the won game because the black king was not centralized in the endgame, which gives the passed a4 pawn a free ride to promotion. The b3 and d5 pawns are one square too close together or black would have had some chances for pawn promotion.
41... Kf8
[41... d4 42. Kc1 d3 [42... b2+ 43. Kxb2 d3 44. Kc1 d2+ 45. Kxd2] 43.
a5 b2+ 44. Kxb2 d2 45. Kc2 d1Q+ 46. Kxd1]
42. a5 Ke8 43. a6 d4 44. a7 d3 45. a8Q+
1-0
A sloppy but interesting game
Linear Mode
