If you have disabled Java for your browser, use the Site Map (linked in the header and footer).

Chessville
logo by
ChessPrints
 

Advertise
with
Chessville!!

Advertise to
thousands
of chess
fans for
as little
as $25.

Single insert:
$35
x4 insert:
@ $25 each.

From the
Chessville
Chess Store

From the
Chessville
Chess Store

Alexander McDonnell was born in Belfast on May 22, 1798.  He was a bachelor who held the post of Secretary of the West India Committee of Merchants.  In the 1830s he was the best player in England.  In the 1820s he took chess lessons from William Lewis.  He developed a kidney ailment.  He died September 14, 1835 of Bright's disease in London at the age of 37.  He was buried at Kensal Green All Souls' Cemetery in London.

Bourdonnais was born on the French Island La Reunion in 1797.  He died on December 13, 1840 in London.  He learned chess in 1814 and took lessons from Deschapelles.  He later became the best chess player in France.  He came from a noble family and heir to an old estate.  He lost his fortune in a building speculation and turned to chess to earn his living.  He was Secretary of the Paris Chess Club and chess professional at the Cafe de la Regence.  In November, 1840 he was diagnosed with dropsy and had a scrotal hernia.  He died at the age of 43 and was buried at Kensal Green All Souls' cemetery, next to McDonnell.
 

1.e4  The main opening for the majority of GMs

1...c5  The Sicilian Defense. Black prevents White from playing d4.

2.Nf3  Development of a piece and attacking d4.

2...Nc6  Black does the same.

3.d4  White goes ahead with d4 anyway.

3...cxd4 4.Nxd4

4...e5  Sicilian Defense; Lowenthal and Kalashnikov variation. (B32) Black initiates a piece attack. If 4...Nxd4 5.Qxd4 would leave White with control of the centre and the only side with piece development. Other moves here could have been 4...Nf6, 4...d6, 4...e6 or 4...a6.

5.Nxc6?!  Piece capture. Better would have been 5.Nb5 eyeing the d6-square. Here White allows black to have a large pawn centre compared to his lowly e-pawn. Also, 5.Nb3 is commonly played.

5...bxc6  Black captures back towards the centre.

6.Bc4  The development of the bishop targets Black's weak f7-square.

6...Nf6  Develops the king's knight and threatens e4.

7.Bg5  Pins the knight to the queen. 7.0-0 Bc5 8.Nc3 0-0 = (Fritz 9) 7.0-0 d5 8.exd5 cxd5=/+ (Deep Fritz)

7...Be7  Breaks the pin. 7...h6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.0-0 +/= (Fritz 9)

8.Qe2  Development of the queen maybe premature? Though the computer (Crafty), recommends the queen going to f3. 8.Nc3 d6= (Fritz 9)

8...d5  Black plays for a counter strike in the centre.

9.Bxf6  Removes one of the defenders of d5. 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Bc1 0-0= (Fritz 9) 9.exd5 cxd5 10.Bb5+ Bd7= (Deep Fritz)

9...Bxf6 10.Bb3  Retreats the bishop.

10...0-0  Bringing the king to safety.

11.0-0  Ditto.

11...a5  Black expands on the queen-side with this move. He now threatens both ...a4 and ...Ba6 -The World's Greatest Chess Games 1998

12.exd5?!  White should develop his rook to d1 first. 12.Rd1 a4 13.Bc4 Bb7=/+ (Fritz 9) 12.Rd1 Ba6 13.Qf3 Rb8=/+ (Deep Fritz)

12...cxd5  This has allowed Black to build a powerful pawn centre. 12...Ba6 13.c4 cxd5 14.Nc3-/+

13.Rd1  The only move.

13...d4 14.c4?!  White creates a passed pawn as well as an escape route for his bishop. 14.Nc3 should have been considered.

14...Qb6  Developing of Black's queen before the other pieces is a common theme in the Sicilian Defense. Crafty recommends 14.Qc7.

15.Bc2  White realigns the bishop to attack Black's weak h7-square. this was the true purpose of 14.c4.

15...Bb7  Black develops his last minor piece. Certainly not 15.. .Qxb2??, which loses the queen to 16.Bxh7+. The World's Greatest Chess Games 1998

16.Nd2  White does the same. Not 16...Qxb2 17.Qd3 e4 18.Nxe4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4= (Fritz 9)

16...Rae8  With this move Black has now completed his opening. Crafty preferred 16... Qe6 first and 16...Rac8 second.

17.Ne4  Moving the knight closer towards Black's king and attacks the bishop on f6. 17.Rab1 Bg5 18.Nf3 Bh8 =/+ (Fritz 9)

17...Bd8  Better would have been 17...Be7 allowing the rooks freedom of movement on the back file. 17...Qxb2? The pawn must remain untouched 18.Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Bxh7+ winning the Black queen.

18.c5  Moving the pawn forward towards the queening square (c8) and attacking the Black queen.

18...Qc6  Blockades the pawn and lines up on the a8-h1 diagonal. (When the queen and bishop is lined up as such, it is called a "Battery")

19.f3  Supporting the knight and setting up a stone wall for the queen/bishop battery to run into.  The negative aspect of this move is that it weakens White's king-side pawn cover.

19...Be7  Black wasted a tempi by having to move the bishop to e7. This is where I believe the bishop should have been placed on move 17.  Preventing 20.Nd6, which White's last move had made possible. -The World's Greatest Chess Games 1998

20.Rac1  White has finally developed his last heavy piece.

20...f5?!  Black attacks the well placed knight but at a cost of weakening his king's pawn cover. 20... Qe6!? (Fritz 9)

21.Qc4+! Kh8  White has the advantage. Better would have been 21...Qd5 offering to trade queens. 21...Qd5 would have be annoyingly met by 22.Qb5, threatening Bb3. -The World's Greatest Chess Games 1998

22.Ba4  Skewer! 22.Nd6 is an option, ...Bxd6 23.Ba4 Qxc5 24.Qxc5 Bxc5 25.Rxc5=/+

22...Qh6  Deep Fritz gives 22.Qh6-/+

23.Bxe8  Black is down the exchange.