A00 Irregular Openings (1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 Bxb4 3.Bxe5 Nf6 4.e3 Nc6 5.Bb2 O-O)

This was played on the fifth round of the third division, group 4 team match between SalSK 3 and NurmSK. I played on board 5 for SalSK 3 in this match that was played on five boards. I was unfortunately the only player in our team who was able to win his game, so we ended up losing the match with a score of 1 - 2. Draws are not counted for the final score. The first position where the game started to go towards a loss for one of the players was seen when I played 12...Qh6.

My opponent found the strongest reply 13.d5 and then I played the move that could have lost the game, 13...Nb8. I should have moved my knight to e5 instead of the passive square b8, but even then I would have been in a lot of trouble. The reason why moving the knight to b8 was so bad is that it disrupted the connection of the rooks, which my opponent could have taken advantage of with the move 14.Qa4. The queen would have attacked both the bishop and the rook and the game would have likely ended there. My opponent chose to play 14.Nd4 and missed the chance to win the game. The next horrible move was played on move 17 by my opponent. He chose to move the knight to f5.

Had I continued with 17...Ng5, my opponent would have been on his way towards a loss. I missed my chance, like I had do so many times before and have done since. I played 17...f6, apparently to protect the pawn on g7. Honestly I can't remember what went through my head as I played this game, because it was played so long time ago, but since I usually play a bit too passively, it is likely the reason why I played 17...f6. My move was met by another blunder 18.Qf4, which allowed me to seize the winning advantage with the reply 18...Ndc5. It did not last long because already after 19.Rd1 I played Nb3 and my chances to win the game were greatly diminished. I was the next player to make a huge blunder and it saw the light of day when I played 22...Qh5??

The move that would have destroyed me was 23.Nxg7 and I think I would have resigned soon. My opponent played 23.Nd4 instead and he went from having a winning advantage into being clearly worse. I then took the pawn from c4, which was not the strongest idea. The moves 23...Qe5 and the odd looking 23...Re4 were better choices for me. The game continued to be slightly favorable for me, until my opponent played 27.Qg4.

The strongest move for me would have been 27...f5, but I played the sloppy 27...Re7 instead and lost some of my advantage once again. Some terrible moves later we reached the position after 31...Qb3, at which point my opponent made the horrible choice of moving the rook to e4. The reason why it is so bad is that I could have played 32...f5 and I would have been on my way to an easy win.

I was not able to find that move unfortunately and played the disaster of a move 32...b5 instead, which could have lost the game due to the reply 33.Nc5. Luckily for me, my opponent also missed his chance and played the move 33.f5 in the game. The game deciding mistake was seen when my opponent played 34.Nd4??

The move was so obviously bad that even I was able to take advantage of it and played 34...Rxe4 and no matter how it is answered, the game is clearly lost for White because the White queen is overloaded. My opponent continued playing the game until I played 49...Qxg6 after which he resigned.

[Event "Sarjapeli"] [Site "?"] [Date "2004.02.14"] [Round "5"] [White "Herrala, Timo"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "98"] [EventDate "2004.04.02"] {[%evp 9,98,11,14,-4,0,0,7,10,28,17,15,8,14,20,10,12,152,147,381,0,0,0,0,-36, -36,-183,-50,-182,-156,-169,-44,-44,29,13,11,-12,336,-129,-41,-31,-29,-45,-48, -71,-77,-91,-68,-92,-88,-115,-52,-81,-89,-86,-76,-862,420,-85,-78,-1840,-1789, -2185,-2539,-2504,-2402,-5447,-5447,-6820,-6804,-29987,-29987,-29990,-29991, -29992,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29996,-29997,-29995,-29995, -29996,-29998,-29996,-29996,-29997,-29997,-29997]} 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bb2 O-O {A00 Irregular Openings. LiveBook: 5 Games} 6. a3 Ba5 7. Nf3 d6 8. Be2 {The position is equal.} Bg4 9. O-O Re8 10. d4 {[%mdl 32]} Ne4 $146 (10... d5 11. Nbd2 Bxd2 12. Nxd2 Bxe2 13. Qxe2 Ne7 14. c4 c6 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Qb5 Qd7 17. a4 Rac8 18. Rfc1 Rxc1+ 19. Rxc1 Rc8 20. Qb3 h6 21. h3 Rxc1+ 22. Bxc1 Qc6 {1/2-1/2 (22) Krivoshapko,A (2044) -Zenzera,A (2071) Omsk 2009}) 11. c4 Qf6 12. Qc2 Qh6 {1.52/24} (12... Qg6 $11 {0.12/28}) 13. d5 $16 Nb8 $2 { 3.81/25} (13... Ne5 $16 {1.47/30} 14. Bxe5 Rxe5) 14. Nd4 $2 {0.00/29} (14. Qa4 $18 {3.81/25} Nc6 15. dxc6) 14... Bxe2 $11 15. Qxe2 Qg6 16. Qf3 Nd7 17. Nf5 { -1.83/27} (17. a4 $15 {-0.36/27}) {[%tqu "En","","","", "e4g5","",10]} 17... f6 {-0.50/26} (17... Ng5 $1 $19 {-1.83/27} 18. Qg4 h5 19. Nh6+ gxh6 20. Qxd7 Rad8) 18. Qf4 {-1.82/28} (18. Nh4 $15 {-0.50/26} Qg5 19. Nf5) 18... Ndc5 {[#] And now ...Nd3 would win.} 19. Rd1 {[%tqu "En","","","","a5e1","",10]} Nb3 { -0.44/31} (19... Be1 $1 $19 {-1.69/25 [%mdl 512]} 20. Rxe1 Nd3) 20. Ra2 $15 Ned2 {0.29/27} ({Black should play} 20... Ng5 $15 {-0.44/27} 21. Kf1 Nf7) 21. Nxd2 Nxd2 22. f3 Qh5 $2 {3.36/25 [%mdl 8192]} (22... Nxc4 $11 {-0.12/26 and Black is okay.} 23. e4 Nxb2 24. Rxb2 Bb6+ 25. Kf1 Rab8) {[%tqu "En","","","", "f5g7","",10]} 23. Nd4 $2 {-1.29/26} (23. Nxg7 $1 $18 {3.36/25 [%mdl 512]} Qg5 (23... Kxg7 24. Qxf6+) 24. Qxg5 (24. Bxf6 Qxf4 25. exf4 Rf8 $16) 24... fxg5 25. Nxe8 Rxe8 26. Bd4) {[%tqu "En","","","", "e8e4","",10]} 23... Nxc4 {-0.41/30} ( 23... Re4 $1 $17 {-1.29/26} 24. Qf5 (24. Qg3 Rxe3 25. Bc1 Nxc4 $17) 24... Qxf5 25. Nxf5 Rxc4) 24. Ne6 Nxb2 25. Rxb2 Bb6 26. Kh1 {[%tqu "En","","","","h5e5", "",10]} Qe5 $1 27. Qg4 {[#]} Re7 28. Re2 Qc3 $40 {[%mdl 128] Black wants a kill.} ({Avoid the trap} 28... Bxe3 $2 29. Qc4 $18) 29. a4 Bxe3 {-0.52/29} ( 29... Rae8 $17 {-1.15/25} 30. e4 Qc4) 30. h4 Bh6 31. f4 Qb3 32. Re4 $2 { -8.62/26 [%mdl 8192]} (32. Rc1 $17 {-0.76/28}) {[%tqu "En","","","","f6f5","", 10]} 32... b5 $4 {4.20/30 [%mdl 8192]} (32... f5 $1 $19 {-8.62/26 and life is good for Black.} 33. Qf3 (33. Qxf5 Qxd1+) 33... Qxf3 34. gxf3 fxe4 35. fxe4 c6) {[%tqu "En","","","","e6c5","",10]} 33. f5 $2 {-0.85/27} (33. Nc5 $1 $18 { 4.20/30 [%mdl 512]} dxc5 34. Rxe7) 33... a5 34. Nd4 $2 {-18.40/26 [%mdl 8192]} (34. axb5 $17 {-0.78/28} Rb8 35. Ree1) 34... Rxe4 $19 35. Qxe4 Qxd1+ 36. Kh2 Qxa4 37. Qd3 Qc4 38. Qe4 a4 39. Qe6+ Kf8 {Black mates.} 40. Nf3 a3 41. Kh3 a2 42. Ng5 Bxg5 43. hxg5 a1=Q 44. g6 hxg6 45. fxg6 Qd3+ 46. Kh2 Qe5+ 47. Kg1 Qxe6 48. dxe6 Ra2 49. Kh2 Qxg6 {Accuracy: White = 24%, Black = 28%.} 0-1 [Event "Chessmaster 9000 Rated Game"] [Site "?"] [Date "2004.02.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Turk"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "119"] [EventDate "2004.??.??"] 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bb2 O-O {A00 Irregular Openings. LiveBook: 6 Games} 6. Bb5 $146 {-0.52/23} (6. Be2 $11 {0.30/26}) (6. Nf3 Re8 ( 6... d5 7. Be2 Bg4 (7... Qd6 8. O-O Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. a4 Qe7 11. Na3 a6 12. d4 Ba7 13. c4 Rfe8 14. c5 Ne4 15. Nd2 f5 16. Nxe4 fxe4 17. Bc3 Qg5 18. Kh1 Rad8 19. f4 exf3 20. Rxf3 Bc8 21. Nc2 b6 22. Rg3 {Klement,O (2005)-Wallner,W (2190) Austria 1995 0-1 (33)}) (7... h6 8. O-O Be6 9. d3 Bd6 10. Nbd2 Ng4 11. d4 Ne7 12. c4 c6 13. Qb3 Qb8 14. h3 Nh2 15. Rfb1 Nxf3+ 16. Nxf3 dxc4 17. Bxc4 Bd5 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. Ba3 b6 20. Ne5 Rd8 21. Rc1 Bxe5 22. Bxe7 {Autengruber,R-Roesch,O Erlangen 1994 1/2-1/2 (127)}) 8. O-O Qe7 9. d3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Rad8 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nd2 Ne5 13. Be2 c5 14. Nf3 Bc7 15. Rb1 b6 16. Re1 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. g3 {1/2-1/2 (18) Alekseev,V (2355)-Sulskis,S (2505) St Petersburg 1996}) 7. Bd3 d5 8. h3 Ne4 9. O-O Re6 10. Nc3 Bxc3 11. dxc3 Qe7 12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Rg6 14. Kh1 Bf5 15. a4 Rd8 16. Qe2 Rh6 17. Rad1 Qe8 18. Bd5 Nd6 19. Ng5 Rg6 20. Qh5 Rh6 { Nowarra,W-Paschke,E Schkopau 1958 1-0}) (6. f4 d5 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. Be2 Bg4 9. O-O Bc5 10. Kh1 Re8 11. Ne5 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Qh4 13. Qf3 Nb4 14. Nd3 Nxc2 15. Nxc5 Nxa1 16. Bxa1 Nxc5 17. Qxd5 Ne4 18. Kg1 Rad8 19. Qxb7 Nxd2 20. Qb2 Qf6 { Schmidke,W (1735)-Boehm,M (1310) Mecklenburg VP 2002 0-1 (48)}) 6... a6 { -0.01/28} (6... d5 $15 {-0.52/23}) 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Ne2 {-0.74/23} (8. a3 $11 { -0.20/28} Be7 9. Nf3) 8... Bf5 {0.15/26} ({Better is} 8... Nh5 $17 {-0.74/23}) 9. h3 {-0.74/23} (9. O-O $11 {0.15/26}) 9... Qd7 {0.06/27} (9... Nd5 $1 $17 { -0.74/23}) 10. Nd4 {-0.45/25} (10. a3 $11 {0.06/27} Bd6 11. d3) 10... Bg6 $15 11. Nf3 {-0.73/23} (11. O-O $11 {-0.25/28}) 11... Rad8 {-0.07/29} (11... Bh5 $17 {-0.73/23}) 12. a3 $11 Ba5 {-0.07/27} (12... Bd6 $15 {-0.52/25}) 13. Bxf6 { -0.89/26} (13. O-O $1 $11 {-0.07/27}) 13... gxf6 $17 14. Nh4 Qd5 {-0.23/25} ( 14... f5 $17 {-1.09/24} 15. O-O f4) 15. O-O $11 Kh8 {-0.20/30} (15... Bh5 $15 { -0.66/23 should be considered.} 16. g4 Bg6) 16. Nxg6+ fxg6 17. Nc3 {-1.08/27} ( 17. d3 $11 {-0.08/26}) 17... Bxc3 {-0.29/28} (17... Qxd2 $17 {-1.08/27} 18. Ne4 Qd5 19. Qxd5 Rxd5) 18. dxc3 Qg5 {-0.04/33} (18... Qe5 $15 {-0.54/28} 19. Qb1 b6 ) 19. Qc1 Rd6 20. Rb1 {-0.63/26} (20. Qb1 $11 {-0.13/34}) 20... b6 $1 $15 21. Qe1 {-0.84/28} (21. Rd1 $11 {-0.26/30}) 21... Rfd8 22. Qe2 Qa5 {-0.32/31} ( 22... a5 $1 $17 {-0.89/25} 23. Rfd1 Qc5 24. Rxd6 Qxd6) 23. Qc4 Qxa3 {0.00/32} ( 23... Kg7 $15 {-0.67/28}) 24. Ra1 $11 Qc5 {0.73/32} (24... Qb2 $11 {0.00/32 keeps the balance.}) 25. Qxc5 $16 bxc5 {Endgame KRR-KRR} 26. c4 {0.08/34} ({ White should play} 26. Rxa6 $14 {0.70/26} f5 27. Rfa1) 26... Ra8 27. Rfb1 { 0.06/32} (27. Ra5 $14 {0.47/28}) 27... Rd2 {0.70/29} (27... a5 $11 {0.06/32}) 28. c3 {0.00/38} (28. Ra2 $14 {0.70/29}) 28... Rc2 29. Ra5 Rxc3 30. Rxc5 a5 31. Rxc6 Ra7 {0.55/28} ({Black should try} 31... a4 $11 {0.00/37} 32. Rxc7 a3) 32. Rd1 ({Reject} 32. Rxf6 Kg7 $17) 32... a4 {[#] Threatens to win with ...a3.} 33. Rxf6 $2 {-1.25/29} (33. Rd8+ $14 {0.32/40 keeps the upper hand.} Kg7 34. Rd7+ Kg8 35. Rcxc7 Rxc7 36. Rxc7) 33... Kg7 $17 34. Rc6 $2 {-5.09/27} (34. Rf3 $17 { -0.98/33 nothing else works.}) 34... a3 $19 35. Ra1 a2 36. g3 Rb3 {[#] Hoping for ...Rb1+.} 37. Kg2 Rb1 38. Rxc7+ Kf6 $4 {3.35/29} (38... Rxc7 $19 {-4.84/33} 39. Rxa2 Rc1) 39. Rxa7 $18 Rxa1 {KR-KR} 40. g4 h5 41. f4 hxg4 {7.88/28} (41... Re1 $142 {4.25/36}) 42. hxg4 Ke6 43. Ra6+ Kf7 44. Ra8 Kf6 {7.40/29} (44... Re1 $142 {4.26/36}) 45. c5 Ke6 46. Ra7 Kd5 47. f5 $2 {0.08/32} (47. Ra6 $18 { 3.27/34}) 47... gxf5 $11 48. gxf5 {Black must now prevent f6.} Kxc5 $2 { 31.82/27} (48... Ke5 $11 {0.08/33}) 49. f6 $18 {Threatening mate with f7.} Kb6 50. Ra8 {f7 would kill now.} Kb7 51. f7 {White mates.} Kxa8 52. f8=Q+ {KQ-KR} Kb7 53. Qb4+ Kc6 54. Qc3+ Kd5 55. Qxa1 Ke4 56. Qxa2 Kxe3 57. Qc4 Kd2 58. Kf2 Kd1 59. Ke3 Ke1 60. Qe2# {Accuracy: White = 24%, Black = 21%.} 1-0 [Event "Yahoo"] [Site "?"] [Date "2008.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "homemaprendiz"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Timo"] [PlyCount "66"] 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. e3 Nc6 5. Bb2 O-O {0.16/23 A00 Irregular Openings} (5... d5 $15 {-0.32/20}) 6. Qf3 $146 {-0.76/21} (6. Be2 $11 {0.16/23} ) (6. Nf3 Re8 (6... d5 7. Be2 Bg4 (7... Qd6 8. O-O Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. a4 Qe7 11. Na3 a6 12. d4 Ba7 13. c4 Rfe8 14. c5 Ne4 15. Nd2 f5 16. Nxe4 fxe4 17. Bc3 Qg5 18. Kh1 Rad8 19. f4 exf3 20. Rxf3 Bc8 21. Nc2 b6 22. Rg3 {Klement,O (2005) -Wallner,W (2190) Austria 1995 0-1 (33)}) (7... h6 8. O-O Be6 9. d3 Bd6 10. Nbd2 Ng4 11. d4 Ne7 12. c4 c6 13. Qb3 Qb8 14. h3 Nh2 15. Rfb1 Nxf3+ 16. Nxf3 dxc4 17. Bxc4 Bd5 18. Bxd5 cxd5 19. Ba3 b6 20. Ne5 Rd8 21. Rc1 Bxe5 22. Bxe7 { Autengruber,R-Roesch,O Erlangen 1994 1/2-1/2 (127)}) 8. O-O Qe7 9. d3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Rad8 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nd2 Ne5 13. Be2 c5 14. Nf3 Bc7 15. Rb1 b6 16. Re1 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. g3 {1/2-1/2 (18) Alekseev,V (2355)-Sulskis,S (2505) St Petersburg 1996}) 7. Bd3 d5 8. h3 Ne4 9. O-O Re6 10. Nc3 Bxc3 11. dxc3 Qe7 12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Rg6 14. Kh1 Bf5 15. a4 Rd8 16. Qe2 Rh6 17. Rad1 Qe8 18. Bd5 Nd6 19. Ng5 Rg6 20. Qh5 Rh6 {Nowarra,W-Paschke,E Schkopau 1958 1-0}) (6. f4 d5 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. Be2 Bg4 9. O-O Bc5 10. Kh1 Re8 11. Ne5 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 Qh4 13. Qf3 Nb4 14. Nd3 Nxc2 15. Nxc5 Nxa1 16. Bxa1 Nxc5 17. Qxd5 Ne4 18. Kg1 Rad8 19. Qxb7 Nxd2 20. Qb2 Qf6 {Schmidke,W (1735)-Boehm,M (1310) Mecklenburg VP 2002 0-1 (48) }) 6... Be7 $17 7. h3 {-1.00/20} (7. Qd1 $1 $11 {-0.15/20}) 7... d5 8. Ne2 { -1.63/18} (8. Qd1 $15 {-0.69/22}) 8... Be6 {-0.59/22} (8... Nb4 $19 {-1.63/18} 9. Na3 c6) 9. Nd4 $2 {-2.36/19 [#]} ({Better is} 9. a3 $15 {-0.59/22}) 9... Ne5 $2 {-0.34/20} (9... Nxd4 $19 {-2.36/19} 10. exd4 Re8) 10. Qe2 $2 {-1.95/19} ( 10. Qg3 $15 {-0.34/20} Nc6 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Nc3) 10... Nc4 {-1.45/25} (10... Bd7 $19 {-1.95/19} 11. d3 c5) 11. Bc3 c5 {-1.33/21} (11... Bd7 $19 {-1.98/18} 12. d3 Nb6) 12. Nb3 $2 {-3.87/17} (12. Nxe6 $17 {-1.33/21} fxe6 13. d3) 12... b5 13. d3 Nb6 14. Ba5 Qd6 15. Bxb6 {-3.41/17} (15. Qf3 $142 {-2.11/22}) 15... Qxb6 16. N3d2 {-4.12/19} (16. g3 $142 {-2.93/21}) 16... Nd7 17. a3 $2 {-5.51/20 } (17. Nf3 {-3.34/21}) 17... Bf6 $19 18. c3 d4 19. cxd4 {-7.05/25} (19. Ne4 $142 {-4.19/21} Rac8 20. a4) 19... cxd4 20. Ne4 dxe3 21. Nxf6+ Nxf6 22. fxe3 Rfe8 23. Nc3 Qa5 {-3.75/21} (23... Rac8 $142 {-8.43/20} 24. Rc1 Nd5) 24. Rc1 $2 {-7.68/22} (24. Qd2 {-3.75/21} b4 25. Nd1) 24... Nd5 25. Kf2 {-8.39/22} (25. Qd2 $142 {-5.06/23} Rac8 26. Nd1 Qxa3 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. Be2) 25... Nxc3 26. Qe1 Rac8 27. Be2 Qxa3 28. Ra1 Qb2 {[#] aiming for ...Bd5.} 29. Rxa7 Nxe2 30. Qxe2 Rc2 31. Re1 Rxe2+ 32. Rxe2 Qc3 33. Raa2 Bxa2 {Accuracy: White = 9%, Black = 42%.} 0-1 [Event "Rated game, 15m + 0s"] [Site "Main Playing Hall"] [Date "2008.03.14"] [Round "?"] [White "Karmai"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A00"] [WhiteElo "1354"] [BlackElo "1830"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "168"] [EventDate "2008.03.04"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. Bb2 Nc6 5. e3 O-O {A00 Irregular Openings} 6. Nf3 d5 7. Bb5 {-0.39/24} (7. c4 $11 {0.19/25}) (7. Be2 Bg4 8. O-O Qe7 9. d3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Rad8 11. a3 Ba5 12. Nd2 Ne5 13. Be2 c5 14. Nf3 Bc7 15. Rb1 b6 16. Re1 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. g3 {1/2-1/2 (18) Alekseev,V (2355)-Sulskis,S (2505) St Petersburg 1996}) 7... Bd7 $146 {0.18/26} (7... Na5 $15 {-0.39/24}) (7... Bg4 8. O-O Na5 9. d3 a6 10. Ba4 b5 11. Bb3 Bd6 12. Nbd2 c5 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Bxd5 Bxh2+ 15. Kxh2 Qd6+ 16. Kg1 Qxd5 17. e4 Qh5 18. Qe2 Rae8 19. Qe3 f5 20. Qg5 Bxf3 21. Nxf3 Qxg5 22. Nxg5 {Ramos,E (1817)-Figueredo,J (1782) Itajuba 2015 0-1 (64)}) 8. O-O $11 a6 {0.30/24} (8... Re8 $15 {-0.39/25}) 9. Bxc6 { -0.47/25} (9. Be2 $11 {0.30/24}) 9... Bxc6 $15 10. c3 {-0.54/25} (10. Ne5 $11 { -0.02/26}) 10... Bd6 $36 {Black has good play.} 11. h3 {-1.11/23} (11. d3 $11 { -0.25/27}) 11... b5 {-0.48/29} (11... Re8 $17 {-1.11/23}) 12. d4 {-1.02/24} ( 12. Ba3 $15 {-0.48/29}) 12... Bb7 {-0.11/28} (12... Qe7 $17 {-1.02/24} 13. Nbd2 a5) 13. a4 Re8 14. Nbd2 {-0.83/24} (14. Ba3 $11 {0.00/30 keeps the balance.}) 14... c6 $17 15. Nb3 Ne4 16. Nfd2 Qg5 {-0.08/26} (16... Nxd2 $17 {-1.12/26} 17. Qxd2 a5) 17. Nxe4 $11 Rxe4 {0.67/27} (17... dxe4 $15 {-0.51/26} 18. Ba3 Bxa3 19. Rxa3 Bc8) 18. Qf3 $2 {-2.01/25} (18. Ba3 $1 $14 {0.67/27 keeps the upper hand.} Re6 19. Bxd6 Rxd6 20. Qg4) 18... Rae8 $2 {-0.28/29} (18... Rh4 $19 { -2.01/25 ...Bc8 is the strong threat.} 19. Ba3 Bc7) 19. Ba3 Bxa3 {0.72/28} ( 19... Bc7 $11 {-0.28/29}) 20. Rxa3 $16 Bc8 21. Nc5 Rh4 22. Qg3 Qxg3 23. fxg3 Rh6 24. Re1 Rg6 25. g4 h5 {1.27/31} ({Black should try} 25... f5 $14 {0.36/27}) 26. Nd3 {-0.12/30} ({White should play} 26. gxh5 $16 {1.27/31} Rh6 27. axb5 cxb5 28. Kf2) 26... hxg4 $11 27. hxg4 Bxg4 28. Ne5 Rg5 29. Nxc6 {-0.49/33} (29. axb5 $11 {0.00/32 feels stronger.} cxb5 30. Rxa6) 29... Bc8 {0.35/29} (29... Bf3 $15 {-0.49/33} 30. Ra2 Be4 31. axb5 axb5) 30. Ra2 {-0.08/37} (30. axb5 $14 {0.35/29 is superior.} axb5 31. Ra8) 30... Rg3 {0.71/25} (30... bxa4 $11 { -0.08/37} 31. Rxa4 Bf5) 31. Ne5 {0.08/35} (31. axb5 $16 {0.71/25} axb5 32. Ra7) 31... f6 32. Nf3 Bg4 $2 {3.31/27} (32... Rg4 $11 {-0.08/36}) 33. Rf2 $2 { -0.22/31} (33. Kf2 $18 {3.31/27} Bxf3 34. Kxg3) 33... Bxf3 (33... Bf5 {looks sharper.} 34. Ne5 Rg5 35. Nf3 Rh5 36. axb5 axb5 37. Rb2 Bd3) 34. Rxf3 {Endgame KRR-KRR} Rg4 35. axb5 axb5 36. Kf2 Rge4 37. Rb1 Rb8 38. Rf4 {With the idea Rxe4.} Re7 39. Kf3 Rc7 40. Rb3 Rc4 41. Rf5 b4 {0.92/36} (41... Rd8 $11 {0.28/34 }) 42. cxb4 {Strongly threatening b5.} Rbxb4 {1.90/28} (42... Rb5 $14 {0.58/34} ) 43. Rxb4 $18 Rxb4 44. Rxd5 $16 {KR-KR} Kf7 45. Kf4 Ke6 {[#]} 46. Ra5 $1 g5+ $2 {4.64/37} (46... Rb1 {2.08/35 was necessary.} 47. g4 Rf1+ 48. Ke4 g5 49. Ra6+ Kf7) 47. Kf3 $18 Rb6 48. g4 Kd6 $2 {6.11/32} (48... Rb2 {3.72/47} 49. Ra6+ Kf7) 49. Rf5 Ke6 50. Ra5 Kd6 51. Ra8 Kd5 52. Rd8+ Ke6 53. Rh8 Rb3 54. Rh6 Rd3 55. Rh2 Rb3 56. Rc2 {2.32/40} (56. Ke4 $142 {4.26/41} Rb1 57. Rc2) 56... Kd6 $2 {5.96/37} (56... Rb1 {2.32/40 is more resistant.} 57. Ke4 Rd1 58. Rc6+ Kf7) 57. Rc5 Rd3 58. Ke4 Rd1 59. Rd5+ Ke7 60. Rf5 Rg1 {[#]} 61. Kf3 $1 Rf1+ 62. Kg2 Re1 63. Kf2 Rd1 64. Ra5 Ke6 65. Ra6+ Ke7 66. Ke2 Rg1 67. Kf3 Rf1+ 68. Ke4 Rf2 69. Rb6 Rf1 70. d5 Rg1 $2 {9.24/29} (70... Kf7 {3.45/46} 71. Rb7+ Ke8) 71. Kf3 $2 { 3.38/44} (71. Kf5 {9.24/29} Rf1+ 72. Kg6) 71... Rd1 72. e4 $2 {0.00/48} (72. Rb7+ $18 {3.38/38} Kd6 73. Ke4) 72... Rf1+ $11 73. Ke2 Rf4 74. Re6+ Kd7 { 0.73/39} (74... Kf7 $11 {0.00/45 remains equal.}) 75. e5 {0.00/65} (75. Kd3 $16 {0.73/39}) 75... fxe5 {The position is equal.} 76. Rxe5 Rxg4 77. Kf3 Rg1 78. Kf2 Rg4 79. Rf5 Kd6 80. Kf3 Rg1 81. Kf2 Rg4 82. Kf3 Rd4 83. Rxg5 Rxd5 84. Rxd5+ Kxd5 {(Lag: Av=0.28s, max=0.6s). Accuracy: White = 36%, Black = 21%.} 1/2-1/2

A00 Irregular Openings (1.b4 e5 2.Bb2 Bxb4 3.Bxe5 Nf6 4.c4 Nc6)

The game below was played in a team match called The Simpsons New Match. It was played between "SIMPSONS" and Chess Champ. I played on board 7 for Chess Champ and won both my games. This match was played on 50 boards and the match ended with a score 45 - 55 in favor of Chess Champ. There was quite many timeouts in this match which was unfortunate but maybe in a team match of this size it can't be avoided.

Like so many times before in my games, the player who first got the chance to get a winning advantage was not the one who ended up winning the game. Nothing all that dire happened to either player until I moved my knight to b7 on move 15. Had my opponent followed it up with 16.Bb5, Ruferto1944 might have been on his way to victory.

Ruferto1944 played 16.c6, which allowed my knight to land on a good square d6 in my reply. The move 16.c6 was bad because it hindered the options of my opponent to gain an advantage and allowed me to improve the position of my knight. The game continued with the moves 17.f3 Kh8 and then Ruferto1944 played 18.g4, which was the start of my opponent's downfall.

I found the best reply 18...Ng8 and then Ruferto1944 played the game losing blunder 19.e4. Moving the pawn to e4 loses material by force. I was able to see the material winning simple combination 19...Bxc3 20.Bxc3 dxe4. The remainder of the game my technique to win the game was reasonably good, apart from 22...Nf6, which gave more chances for my opponent to hold the game, which he was unable to do.

Game number two. This was my sixth consecutive challenge game at the FIDE Online Arena and even after this I had not lost a single one! I won four and drew two games in that six game period. The game featured only small mistakes for the first 16 moves, but the combined effort of them only added up to clear advantage for my opponent when I played 16...Qf6.

Had my opponent responded with 17.Rc1, the game would have continued to be clearly favorable for arkuntolga. My opponent played 17.Bb5 in the game and position should be about even. The move 17.Bb5 allowed me to win a pawn by playing 17...Bxc5, because after 18.dxc5 I will take on b2 with my queen. However, arkuntolga should be fully compensated for the pawn. My opponent needed to take on c5 in order to keep the position even, other moves led into trouble, like the move 18.Bxc6 that my opponent played in the game. Taking on c6 was a horrible blunder because I could have replied with 18...Bd6+, save my bishop and then take on c6. Unfortunately I did not play the in-between move, but instead took on c6 immediately and the position was even once again. For some reason my opponent did not want to take on c5, but moved his or her knight to e5 instead. It gave me another opportunity to move my bishop to d6 and obtain a clear advantage and this time I used my chance. Everything looked good to me until I played 32...g6 and the game quickly ended in a draw.

The move 32...g6 missed the perpetual check that my opponent was able to deliver.

[Event "The Simpsons New Match - Board 7"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2014.10.11"] [Round "?"] [White "Ruferto1944"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [WhiteElo "1681"] [BlackElo "1905"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2014.??.??"] {[%evp 10,80,0,0,18,19,16,27,26,19,53,29,27,27,37,35,56,17,35,15,25,33,143,0,0, 0,6,-92,-93,-178,-192,-176,-127,-212,-172,-170,-66,-165,-162,-401,-290,-476, -464,-695,-684,-699,-637,-680,-627,-641,-618,-569,-546,-706,-657,-709,-607, -874,-769,-755,-756,-1242,-1270,-1257,-1254,-1287,-1272,-1285,-1267,-1075,-987, -29981,-29980]} 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. c4 Nc6 {A00 Irregular Openings} 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Nf3 {LiveBook: 13 Games} d6 7. e3 Bg4 (7... Re8 8. Be2 Ne5 9. Qb3 Ba5 10. Nc3 c6 11. d4 Nxf3+ 12. Bxf3 Ne4 13. Rd1 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 15. Qxc3 d5 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. O-O Be6 18. Qb3 Qd7 {1/2-1/2 (18) Beaton,K (2120) -Henderson,J (2170) Edinburgh 1999}) 8. Be2 {The position is equal.} Re8 9. O-O Qe7 (9... d5 10. d4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bh5 12. a3 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Ne4 14. Nxe4 Rxe4 15. Bd5 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qxd5 17. Rc1 Qd6+ 18. Kg1 Qh6 19. Rc5 Rh4 20. Rxh5 Rxh5 21. g3 Rh1+ 22. Kg2 Qh3# {0-1 (22) Castro Estrella,J (1417)-Cabrera Marmol,M (1826) Barcelona 2017}) 10. a3 $146 (10. Nc3 Rad8 (10... Ne5 11. Nxe5 Bxe2 12. Nxe2 dxe5 13. d3 Rad8 14. Ng3 Qe6 15. Qb3 Bd6 16. Rac1 b6 17. Rfd1 h5 18. e4 Bc5 19. h3 g6 20. Ba3 Bd4 21. Ne2 c5 22. Nc3 g5 23. Nb5 Rd7 24. Bb2 h4 25. Nxd4 { Reimer,K (1559)-Wild,H (1755) Kaiserslautern 2006 1/2-1/2 (41)}) 11. Re1 Ba5 12. a3 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 dxe5 15. e4 c6 16. a4 Bb4 17. Red1 Bc5 18. Rab1 Rd7 19. a5 Red8 20. Na4 Bd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. d3 R8d7 23. Nb2 g6 24. f3 Nh5 {Zelanti,M (1487)-Kranch,K (1770) Berlin 2012 1-0 (71)}) 10... Ba5 11. Nc3 Be6 12. d4 {[#] And now d5 would win.} d5 13. c5 b6 14. Qa4 Nd8 15. Ne5 Nb7 { 1.43/22} (15... c6 $14 {0.33/26}) {[%tqu "En","","","","e2b5","", 10]} 16. c6 { 0.00/27} ({Better is} 16. Bb5 $1 $16 {1.43/22}) 16... Nd6 $11 17. f3 Kh8 18. g4 {-0.92/25} (18. Ba6 $11 {0.06/29 remains equal.}) 18... Ng8 $17 19. e4 { -1.78/25} (19. Qc2 $17 {-0.93/27}) 19... Bxc3 $19 20. Bxc3 dxe4 {-1.27/27} ( 20... f6 $19 {-1.76/23} 21. Nd3 dxe4) 21. Bb4 {-2.12/24} (21. d5 $17 {-1.27/27 might work better.} Bxd5 22. Qd4 exf3 23. Bxf3 Bxf3 24. Rae1) 21... exf3 22. Bxf3 Nf6 {-0.66/26} (22... a5 $19 {-1.70/24} 23. Be1 b5) {[%tqu "En","","", "", "a1e1","",10]} 23. g5 {-1.65/24} (23. Rae1 $1 $15 {-0.66/26} Qd8 24. Bxd6 Qxd6 25. g5) 23... Nd5 24. h4 $2 {-4.01/25 [#]} (24. Bd2 {-1.62/26}) 24... Nxb4 25. axb4 $2 {-4.76/25} (25. Qxb4 {-2.90/27 was forced.} f6 26. Nd7) 25... Nf5 26. b5 {-6.95/24} (26. Qc2 $142 {-4.64/27} Ne3 27. Qd2 Nxf1 28. Rxf1) 26... Nxh4 27. Qc2 Qxg5+ 28. Bg2 f6 29. Nf3 Nxf3+ 30. Rxf3 Qxb5 31. Bh3 Bd5 32. Rf2 Re7 33. Bd7 a5 34. Rh2 Be4 35. Qf2 Qg5+ 36. Rg2 Bxg2 37. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 38. Kxg2 g6 39. d5 Rxd7 40. Rd1 Re7 {Accuracy: White = 33%, Black = 31%.} 0-1 [Event "Challenge 29072018"] [Site "online arena"] [Date "2015.04.18"] [Round "1"] [White "arkuntolga"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A00"] [WhiteElo "1688"] [BlackElo "1703"] [Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (30s)"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2015.??.??"] {[%evp 10,71,0,0,22,20,16,32,29,40,33,44,54,22,41,-14,17,0,52,63,53,53,48,50, 79,0,0,-109,0,-127,-128,-155,-180,-189,-191,-186,-186,-182,-187,-187,-132,-220, -182,-186,-178,-182,-177,-187,-191,-182,-183,-214,-130,-122,-129,-130,0,0,0,0, 0,0,0,0]} 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 4. c4 Nc6 {A00 Irregular Openings} 5. Bb2 O-O 6. Nf3 {LiveBook: 13 Games} d6 7. e3 Bg4 (7... Re8 8. Be2 Ne5 9. Qb3 Ba5 10. Nc3 c6 11. d4 Nxf3+ 12. Bxf3 Ne4 13. Rd1 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 15. Qxc3 d5 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. O-O Be6 18. Qb3 Qd7 {1/2-1/2 (18) Beaton,K (2120) -Henderson,J (2170) Edinburgh 1999}) 8. Be2 Re8 9. O-O Ne4 $146 (9... d5 10. d4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Bh5 12. a3 Bd6 13. Nbd2 Ne4 14. Nxe4 Rxe4 15. Bd5 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2 Qxd5 17. Rc1 Qd6+ 18. Kg1 Qh6 19. Rc5 Rh4 20. Rxh5 Rxh5 21. g3 Rh1+ 22. Kg2 Qh3# {0-1 (22) Castro Estrella,J (1417)-Cabrera Marmol,M (1826) Barcelona 2017} ) (9... Qe7 10. Nc3 Rad8 11. Re1 Ba5 12. a3 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 dxe5 15. e4 c6 16. a4 Bb4 17. Red1 Bc5 18. Rab1 Rd7 19. a5 Red8 20. Na4 Bd4 21. Bxd4 Rxd4 22. d3 R8d7 23. Nb2 g6 24. f3 {Zelanti,M (1487)-Kranch,K (1770) Berlin 2012 1-0 (71)}) (9... Ne5 10. Qb3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Bc5 12. d4 Ned7 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Qc2 Nfd7 15. f4 Qh4 16. Nd2 Nf6 17. Qf5 Nfe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. f3 Nc5 20. Bd4 Ne6 21. Rf2 g6 22. Qf6 Qh6 23. Qh8# {1-0 (23) Lunin,M (2077)-Parshikov,N Zhukovsky 2011}) 10. h3 Be6 11. d4 {[#] d5 is the strong threat.} d5 12. c5 { -0.14/25} (12. a3 $14 {0.41/26} Ba5 13. Bd3) 12... Ng5 13. Nbd2 Qf6 {0.52/25} ( {Black should try} 13... Bxd2 $11 {0.00/27} 14. Qxd2 (14. Nxd2 Nxh3+ 15. gxh3 Bxh3 $11) 14... Ne4) 14. Nxg5 $14 Qxg5 15. Nf3 Qg6 {With the idea ...Bxh3.} 16. Kh2 Qf6 17. Bb5 {0.00/27} (17. Rc1 $16 {0.79/24}) {[%tqu "En","","","","b4c5", "",10]} 17... Bxc5 $1 $11 {[%mdl 512]} 18. Bxc6 {-1.09/28} (18. dxc5 $11 { 0.00/27} Qxb2 19. Qa4) 18... bxc6 {0.00/29} (18... Bd6+ $17 {-1.09/28} 19. Ne5 bxc6) 19. Ne5 {-1.27/25} (19. dxc5 $11 {0.00/29} Qxb2 20. Qa4) 19... Bd6 $17 20. Kh1 c5 {[%mdl 32]} 21. Ng4 Bxg4 22. Qxg4 c4 23. Bc3 Rab8 24. Kg1 Bb4 { -1.32/30} ({Better is} 24... c6 $19 {-1.87/24} 25. Rab1 Qe7) 25. Rfc1 {-2.20/25 } (25. Bxb4 $17 {-1.32/30} Rxb4 26. Rfb1 Rxb1+ 27. Rxb1) 25... Qe6 26. Qd1 Bxc3 27. Rxc3 Rb2 28. Rc2 Reb8 29. Rxb2 Rxb2 $19 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQR} 30. Rb1 Qb6 31. Rxb2 Qxb2 32. Qa4 {[#]} g6 {0.00/42} (32... Qb1+ $17 {-1.30/26} 33. Kh2 Qb8) 33. Qe8+ $11 {The position is equal.} Kg7 {Hoping for ...Qb7.} 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Qe8+ Kg7 {Threatens to win with ...Qb7.} 36. Qe5+ {Accuracy: White = 47%, Black = 29%.} 1/2-1/2