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"The Pieces That Stayed In Bed"The Janitor Jim Series: Game 1Annotated by David Surratt [Click here to view the "Annotated_Games" PGN file in Chess Tutor, an interactive chess board.] [Or download the PGN file to use in your own chess program.] This game is a good example of what happens when you neglect to develop your pieces in the opening, and some of the tactical ideas that you need to know to win at chess. Janitor Jim v. licenser 1.e4 e6 The French Defense. Black allows White to set up shop in the center, then hopes to counterattack with pawn breaks ...c5 & possibly ...f6. 2.d4 d5 White now has a number of choices. Most common are 3.e5, 3.exd5, 3.Nc3, or even 3.Nd2. 3.Qe2 White hopes to force Black to recapture on d5 with his queen, but blocks the development of the king-bishop. 3. ..... Be7 This probably wasn't the best choice, since White can now play 4.e5, making it harder for Black to develop his king-knight & get castled. Better was 3...Nf6. 4.c3 This defends the pawn on d4, but it really didn't need reinforcing. Meanwhile, the pawn blocks the best square for White's queen-knight, c3. 4. ..... Nf6 This is a serious mistake. At the beginning of the game, the weakest square for White is f2 (and f7 for Black) since it is only defended by the king, not a strong defensive piece! Consequently, it is not often a good idea to move that pawn in the opening. Also, it deprives the king-knight of it's best square, f3. 5. ..... 0-0
Black is now ready to begin offensive operations; his king is tucked away safely in the corner, while White still needs at least 4 (!) more moves to get his king out of the center. 6.e5 A good decision: Black wants to open the center so he can attack the White king, so White tries to bottle up the Black pieces and avoid the infamous center break. 6. ..... Nfd7 This is a waste of time, as it contributes nothing to White's development nor king safety. Remember in the opening phase of the game there are three things you want to accomplish (in general): develop your pieces, control the center, and safeguard (by castling) your king. 7. ..... c5 Black's thematic pawn break against White's center. 8.Ra3
A tactical blunder, since it allows the discovered attack by the e7 bishop against the a3 rook after Black's next move. Normally the a- and h-files aren't the best lines to develop the rooks on; better to find a central file (c, d, e, or f) for them. Since the f-pawn has already moved, 8.f4 now would be a good way to reinforce the center, while opening up f3 for the king-knight. 8. ..... cxd4 Best to acknowledge the error and save the exchange with 9.Ra1 dxc3 10.Nxc3. Remember the basic point value of the pieces are 3 points for a bishop, and 5 for a rook. Compare this position to that in the actual game after 10.Nxa3. Here White's only down a pawn, and the knight stands better on c3 then on a3 where it has more limited scope. 9. ..... Bxa3 10.Nxa3
10. ..... a6 Necessary in order to keep White from planting that knight on d6 via b5. In this position d6 would be a great outpost square for the knight, allowing it to attack lots of squares deep in Black territory. 11.Qc2 Good move; it opens up a diagonal to develop the king-bishop. White has to hurry to complete his development & get his king safe in the corner. 11. ..... Nc6 Too many queen moves. White needs to develop pieces, so better was 12.Be3. Black could now win a pawn with... 12...Qh4+ [see diagram below] which is a double attack: the king is in check, and now Black has a concentration of superior force against the d4 pawn (Nc6 & Qh4 both attack d4; it's defended only by White's queen).
However, Black wants to open lines to attack the Black king, so instead of 12...Qh4+ he plays .... 12. ..... f6 A terrible move! Black gets an overwhelming pawn mass in the center. Forced was 14.dxe5. 14. ..... exd4 The 3rd time the queen's moved out of the last five moves. Meanwhile, White's other pieces are still at home asleep. 15. ..... e5
Now Black really gets things rolling. A huge lead in development, coupled with the center pawn mass, spells doom for White. 16.Nh3 At last White develops another piece, albeit to a poor square. Knights generally do better posted towards the center, where they can control more squares. Objectively better was 16.Nf3, although White is already lost. 16. ..... e4 Black controls a lot of squares in White's camp: the two pawns on the 4th rank control c3, d3, e3, and f3. 17.b4 White tries to fight back by generating some play on the queenside, but it's too little, too late. An alternative was 17.Bg2. 17. ..... d3 Black is going to shove these pawns down White's throat. The plan is: first the doubled pawn gets pushed, in order to allow the d5 pawn to get to d4 to support the e-pawn push to e3. 18.Ng5 Nf6
19.h3 Oops! Now the knight on g5 has "No Retreat". 19. ..... h6 White tries to get as much as he can for the doomed piece. 20. ..... dxe4
Black voluntarily enters into an absolute pin. Why? 23.Bg2 Be6 Here's why: Black hopes to create a discovered attack against the White queen, just as happens in the game. 24.0-0 Nxf4
Notice how the knight protects the piece giving the discovered attack on the White queen? White has no time to capture the knight with 25.Bxf4. 25.Qc3 One final blunder ends the game: White walks into a knight fork of his king and queen. 25. ..... Ne2+ White resigns. 0-1 Time for a review:
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