C02 French: Advance Variation (1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Bb5 Qb6)

It is time for some of my latest correspondence games and unfortunately that also means more losses are added to the blog... Well, unfortunate for me that is. Despite my best efforts, my rating in Online Chess at Chess.com keeps going down slowly but surely. After being in my relative best form in years there a few months ago, I can't seem to be able to win games in the same pace as before. I may need to start a lot more games in order to maintain my rating more easily at a level I like it to be. Before I start doing that in a major way, I would like to do other things with the time that is freed from those games. I only have 66 games in progress anymore and that seems to be roughly the amount that is quite easily maintained. I certainly do not have the same amount stress from the games I did have in the early part of this year when I had 300 games in progress. Even though I know I should never play that many games again at the same time if I like to keep my sanity, some part of me would like to go for even more games at the same time.

The game below was played in a tournament at Chess.com. The tournament is called Maximum ! and it is called that because the time you can use for every move is the longest you can have in games you can play at Chess.com, which is 14 days per move. Despite the fact that these thinking times were known by players at the start, there are still some people who complain about the length of the tournament. Sure this first round has lasted over a year, but what would you expect with these time limits, there are always some players who like to take their time with their moves and I do not personally have any problem with that because I accepted the long thinking times when I signed for the tournament... Even with the long thinking times, I have done some really bad moves in these games. The main reason for it obviously being that I don't actually have all that time due to the many, many other games I have had in progress at the same time. I am currently on eight place, but I can still finish third in group #4 if I win all my remaining three games. I am not sure I want to do that because that would mean that I would advance to the second round. Realistically I would be tied to this tournament at least for another year if that happens. I will always play for the win though and I would not lose on purpose just to avoid the possible long future commitment to the tournament. Tomorrow and the rest of the week seems to be at this point very uncertain what I will post. No new openings or chess960 starting positions have catched my eye so far, so what happens in the posts for the rest of the week is a mystery to me.

[Event "Maximum ! - Round 1"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2014.09.11"] [Round "?"] [White "AndreasChess"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C02"] [WhiteElo "1922"] [BlackElo "1869"] [Annotator "Stockfish 6 64 BMI2 (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 {French Defense: Advance Variation} 5. Bb5 (5. Nf3 Bd7 {French Defense: Advance Variation, Euwe Variation} (5... Qb6 6. a3 (6. Bd3 {French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit}) 6... Nh6 { French Defense: Advance Variation, Lputian Variation})) 5... Qb6 {C02 French: Advance Variation} 6. Na3 Bd7 7. Nf3 Nge7 {N} (7... cxd4 8. cxd4 (8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. cxd4 Ne7 10. O-O h5 11. Nc2 Nf5 12. a3 c5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Be7 15. Ncd4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Rc8 17. Be3 Qb8 18. f4 g6 19. Rc1 Rxc1 20. Qxc1 O-O 21. Qd2 a5 22. Rb1 axb4 {Lopez Fernandez, A-Rojas,L (2423) Coria del Rio 2006 0-1 (34)}) 8... Bxa3 9. Bxc6 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Bxd2+ 11. Nxd2 Bxc6 12. O-O Qxd4 13. Qe2 Ne7 14. Nf3 Qb6 15. a3 Bb5 {0-1 (15) Radjapaksa, C-Krause,T Neumuenster 1998}) (7... cxd4 8. Bxc6 (8. cxd4 $4 Bxa3 9. Bxc6 Bb4+ (9... Bxc6 $6 10. bxa3 Qa6 11. Bd2 { +/-}) (9... Qxc6 $6 10. bxa3 Qa6 11. Rb1 {+/-}) 10. Bd2 Bxc6 {-+}) 8... Qxc6 9. Nxd4 {=/+}) 8. O-O $1 {Loses material} (8. dxc5 Qc7 {+/=} (8... Qxc5 9. Be3 d4 10. cxd4 {+/-})) 8... Nf5 (8... cxd4 9. cxd4 Nf5 10. Bxc6 Bxc6 11. Nc2 {=}) 9. Be3 (9. dxc5 $5 {must definitely be considered} Bxc5 10. b4 {+/=}) 9... cxd4 { =/+} 10. Nxd4 {A sound move} (10. cxd4 $5 {deserves consideration} Be7 11. Be2 {=/+}) 10... Nxe3 {+/-} 11. fxe3 Nxe5 12. Qh5 Bd6 (12... Bxb5 $5 13. Naxb5 Bd6 {+/-}) 13. Bxd7+ {=/+} Kxd7 {Black loses the right to castle} 14. Nab5 (14. c4 g6 (14... dxc4 $2 15. Rxf7+ Kc8 16. Nxc4 Nxc4 17. Rc1 {+-}) 15. Qh3 f5 16. cxd5 exd5 {=/+}) 14... Raf8 (14... f5 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. b3 {+/-}) 15. a4 g6 { Prevents intrusion on f5} 16. Qe2 (16. Qd1 {=/+}) 16... Be7 (16... a6 17. a5 Qc5 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. e4 {+/-}) 17. b4 {White intends a5} (17. e4 f6 {=}) 17... a6 {Black threatens to win material: a6xb5} (17... f5 {!? +/-}) 18. a5 { = White threatens to win material: a5xb6} Qd8 19. Na3 (19. e4 f6 {=}) 19... Qc7 {= Black threatens to win material: Qc7xc3} 20. Rac1 (20. c4 $5 {should be examined more closely} Rc8 21. cxd5 exd5 22. b5 {=}) 20... Rc8 {+/-} 21. e4 dxe4 (21... Bg5 22. exd5 Bxc1 23. dxe6+ Ke7 24. Rxc1 {+/-}) 22. Rfd1 (22. Qxe4 $5 {might be a viable alternative} Ke8 23. Rce1 {=}) 22... Ke8 {+/-} 23. Qxe4 Nc6 (23... h5 {+/-}) 24. Nc4 {=} Rg8 $4 {there were better ways to keep up the pressure} (24... Rd8 25. Nxc6 Qxc6 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Qd4 {=}) 25. b5 (25. Nxe6 {secures the win} Qb8 26. Rd5 fxe6 27. Qxe6 {+-}) 25... Nxa5 (25... Nxd4 26. cxd4 Kf8 {=} (26... axb5 27. Nd6+ Bxd6 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. a6 {+/-})) 26. Nxa5 { +/-} Qxa5 27. Qxb7 Qc7 28. bxa6 (28. Qxa6 Bc5 29. Kh1 Kf8 {+/-}) 28... Bc5 $2 ( 28... Qxb7 29. axb7 Rb8 30. Rb1 {=}) 29. Kf1 (29. Rb1 f5 30. Kh1 Bxd4 31. Rxd4 Ke7 {+-}) 29... Kf8 $2 (29... Qf4+ {and Black can hope to survive} 30. Qf3 Qxf3+ 31. gxf3 Bxd4 32. Rxd4 Rc7 {+/=}) 30. Qxc7 Rxc7 31. Nb5 Re7 (31... Rc6 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 {+-}) 32. Ra1 (32. Rd8+ {would have given White the upper hand} Kg7 33. Rxg8+ Kxg8 34. Ra1 {+-}) 32... Kg7 {+/-} 33. Ra2 Ra8 34. Ke2 e5 (34... Rc8 35. a7 Bxa7 36. Nxa7 Rxc3 37. Nb5 {+/-}) 35. Rd5 Bb6 36. c4 f6 $4 {leading to a quick end} (36... Ba7 {+/-}) 37. c5 {+-} Bc7 38. a7 (38. c6 $5 {and White can already relax} Kf7 39. a7 Bb6 {+-}) 38... Kf7 39. Ra6 f5 40. g3 (40. Ke3 {might be the shorter path} Kf8 {+-}) 40... e4 (40... f4 { +- is the last straw}) 41. Ke3 Be5 42. Rb6 (42. c6 {keeps an even firmer grip} Bc7 43. Rd7 Rxd7 44. cxd7 Bd8 {+-}) 42... Bc7 43. Ra6 {Twofold repetition} Ke8 $4 {ignoring the path to victory} (43... Be5 44. c6 Bc7 {+-}) 44. c6 (44. Rf6 { +- makes it even easier for White}) 44... Rg7 (44... Kf7 {does not save the day } 45. Rd7 Rxd7 46. cxd7 {+-}) 45. Nd4 (45. Nxc7+ Rxc7 46. Rb5 Rxc6 47. Rb8+ Kd7 48. Rxc6 Rxa7 49. Rf6 Ke7 50. Rbf8 Ra3+ 51. Kf4 Ra6 52. Rxa6 Kxf8 53. h4 Ke8 54. Ra7 Kf8 55. Rxh7 Kg8 56. Re7 Kf8 57. Re5 Kg7 58. Kg5 Kf7 59. h5 gxh5 60. Kxf5 e3 61. Rxe3 h4 62. gxh4 Kg7 63. Re7+ Kf8 64. Kf6 Kg8 65. Re8+ Kh7 66. Rd8 Kh6 67. Rh8#) 45... Ke7 (45... Re7 {desperation} 46. Rb5 Kd8 {+-}) 46. Rd7+ Kf6 47. Rxg7 (47. Rxg7 Bxg3 48. Rxh7 Bd6 49. c7 Ke5 50. Rd7 f4+ 51. Kf2 e3+ 52. Kf3 e2 53. Raxd6 e1=N+ 54. Kg4 Ke4 55. Re6+ Kd3 56. Nf3+ Kc2 57. Rc6+ Kb1 58. c8=Q Nc2 59. Rb6+ Ka1 60. Qc3+ Ka2 61. Qb2#) 1-0