A34 Symmetrical English: 2.Nc3, lines with ...d5 (1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 a6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.O-O Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4)

For quite some time now, I have only posted my correspondence games, but today and actually the rest of this week will mainly feature rapid games that were played at the FIDE Online Arena. These games were part of my journey towards the title of Arena International Master. This was my 36th game of the 50 rapid games requirement of the title. This is also the fourth game in a row against Hermie Cagatin, which was also the last game we played on December 8th 2015. Nor have we played since, at least to my knowledge that is. I know that we have not played at FOA, but we might have played somewhere else where my opponent could have used a handle and not used his real name. It is very likely that these four games are the only four games we have ever played, but obviously I lack information to confirm that without a shadow of a doubt. This is the only one of the four games we played where the winner was the player with the white pieces, all other games were won by the player with the black pieces. I won three out of the four games and lost one.

[Event "Challenge 35775044"] [Site "online arena"] [Date "2015.12.08"] [Round "1"] [White "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Black "Cagatin, Hermie"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A34"] [WhiteElo "1770"] [BlackElo "1743"] [Annotator "Stockfish 7 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 {English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Fianchetto Variation} e6 (3... g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. e3 (5. e4 {English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System}) (5. Nf3 e5 {English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed}) 5... e5 {English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Botvinnik System Reversed}) 4. Bg2 a6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 {A34 Symmetrical English: 2.Nc3, lines with ...d5} Ne5 (8... Qc7 9. b3 O-O 10. Be3 d6 11. Rc1 Ng4 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd2 Rb8 14. c5 d5 15. e4 Nf6 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Bf4 Qa7 19. Bxb8 Qxb8 20. Na4 Qc7 21. Qd4 Bb7 22. c6 Bxc6 23. Qb6 {Ftacnik,L (2470)-Pinter,J (2535) Hastings 1980 1-0 (61)}) 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 Rb8 {N} (10... Qc7 11. Rc1 Bc5 12. Na4 Be7 13. c5 Nc6 14. a3 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 d5 16. cxd6 Qxd6 17. Qxd6 Bxd6 18. Rfd1 Be7 19. Nb6 Rd8 20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 21. Nxa8 Bd7 22. Rd1 Nd5 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. Rxd5 {1-0 (24) Mertens,K (2075) -Schett,F (1943) Seefeld 2008}) 11. Qd2 Bc5 (11... d6 12. e3 {+/=}) 12. Ne4 ( 12. Rad1 $5 {+/-}) 12... Nxe4 {+/=} 13. Bxe4 f5 $2 (13... d6 14. Rac1 {+/=}) 14. Bg2 (14. Nxf5 $5 exf5 15. Bxe5 {+-}) 14... Ng4 (14... d6 15. e3 {+/=}) 15. h3 {+/-} Nxf2 $2 (15... Nh6 {+/-}) 16. Rxf2 {+-} (16. Kxf2 $6 e5 {+/-}) 16... e5 17. e3 $4 {with this move White loses his initiative} (17. Nf3 {it becomes clear that White will call all the shots} d6 18. e3 {+-}) 17... exd4 {+/-} 18. exd4 Bd6 (18... Be7 19. Re1 d6 20. Rfe2 {+/-}) 19. Bd5+ (19. Qd3 b5 20. Rxf5 Bb7 21. Bxb7 Rxb7 {+-}) 19... Kh8 {+/-} 20. Kg2 (20. Qd3 Be7 21. Rxf5 Rxf5 22. Qxf5 d6 {+-}) 20... b5 (20... f4 21. gxf4 b5 22. Raf1 {+/-}) 21. Raf1 (21. c5 Bc7 {+/-}) 21... bxc4 22. bxc4 f4 23. gxf4 Bb4 24. Qd3 Bb7 25. Qf3 (25. Bxb7 $5 Rxb7 26. c5 {+/-}) 25... Bxd5 {+/= Black forks: c4+f3} 26. Qxd5 ({Inferior is} 26. cxd5 Rf5 {=/+}) 26... Qh4 $2 {Attacks the isolated pawn on f4} (26... Re8 { +/= is a viable option}) 27. Qxd7 {+-} Rbd8 (27... Qf6 28. Qg4 {+-}) 28. Qg4 Qh6 (28... Qf6 29. f5 {+-}) 29. d5 Bc5 (29... Qg6 {doesn't get the bull off the ice} 30. Qxg6 hxg6 31. f5 gxf5 32. Rxf5 Rxf5 33. Rxf5 {+-}) 30. Re2 Rd6 ( 30... Qg6 {does not save the day} 31. Qxg6 hxg6 32. Re6 {+-}) 31. Re6 Rxe6 32. Qxe6 Qh4 (32... Qxe6 {hardly improves anything} 33. dxe6 Kg8 34. f5 {+-}) 33. Qg4 (33. d6 {secures victory} Qd8 34. d7 Qb6 35. Qxb6 Bxb6 {+-}) 33... Qe7 34. Be5 (34. Re1 {keeps an even firmer grip} Qb7 35. Bc3 Qf7 {+-}) 34... Rg8 (34... Kg8 {cannot change destiny} 35. Rd1 Rd8 36. Re1 {+-}) 35. Rf3 Qf7 (35... Bd6 { cannot change what is in store for White} 36. Re3 Qc7 37. Qe2 {+-}) 36. Qe6 Qb7 (36... Qxe6 {is not much help} 37. dxe6 h5 38. Rd3 {+-}) 37. Rb3 Qa7 38. Rg3 Qb7 (38... Bd4 {doesn't change anything anymore} 39. Qg4 {+-}) 39. Kf3 (39. Bxg7+ Qxg7 40. Rxg7 Kxg7 41. Kf3 Rd8 42. Qe5+ Kf7 43. Qh5+ Kf8 44. Qh6+ Kf7 45. Qxh7+ Kf8 46. Qf5+ Ke7 47. Qe6+ Kf8 48. Qf6+ Ke8 49. Qc6+ Ke7 50. Qxc5+ Kd7 51. d6 Re8 52. Qc7+ Ke6 53. d7 Ra8 54. d8=Q Rxd8 55. Qxd8 a5 56. a4 Kf7 57. f5 Kg7 58. Qe7+ Kh8 59. f6 Kg8 60. Qg7#) 39... a5 (39... Qb4 {is the last straw} 40. Qxa6 Bf8 {+-}) 40. Rxg7 $1 {Deflection: e8} Rxg7 (40... Rxg7 41. Qe8+ {Mate attack Deflection}) 41. Qe8+ (41. Qe8+ Bf8 42. Qxf8#) 1-0