Skype coaching session, 10 May 2015. 

The following game was examined, the game 60 moves) is given with annotations and then again without annotations. 

Paul Benson. 

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White: Krush, 2380. 
Black: Crouch, 2403. 
Event: Hampstead 2001. 
Result: 0-1 in 60 moves. 
Opening: Caro-Kann Defence, Exchange Variation, B13. 

1. e4 c6 
2. d4 d5 
3. exd5 

| This is the Exchange Variation. A solid choice which does not put black under pressure as other white opening systems do. || 

3. ... cxd5 
4. Bd3 

| White is trying to limit the activity of the black c8 bishop. If, 4. Nf3 Bg4, fits nicely with black's plans. || 

4. ... Nc6 
5. c3 Nf6 

| Black takes a slight lead in development,but as the centre is not open there is no immediate danger to white. Instead, either now or on the next move, black can open the centre with, pawn e5, from which a totally different type of middlegame would arise. || 

6. h3 g6 

| A move with 2 possible ideas in mind. The fianchetto with, Bg7, is now available to black, but the other plan which is actually put into action shapes the future middlegame. || 

7. Bf4 

| The white bishops have taken active posts. The Exchange Variation appears to challenge the advice to beginners: "Knights before bishops". Some opening systems can challenge good advice. So, if the GMs play it in numbers then it is worth considering for your own games. Now it is time for some careful thoughts on the next black move. || 

7. ... Bf5 

| A plan which alters the whole shape of the game. Instead, 7. ... Bg7, is acceptable for black. || 

8. Bxf5 

| Instead, 8. Nf3, keeps the game simpler for white. || 

8. ... gxf5 

| Just what has black gained from doubling the f-pawns? || 

9. Nf3 Rg8 

| Ah, the semi-open g-file is the plus for black to compensate for those doubled f-pawns. Clearly black must now castle queenside. So, we can expect an exciting opposite wing attack with pawns flying up the board, can we? || 

10. O-O e6 
11. Re1 Ne4 

| This knight dominates the centre. Not threatening in itself, but is threatening to create threats. All it requires is some heavy piece assistance and white will be under serious pressure. || 

12. c4 

| Anticipating black castling queenside, white sets about creating activity on that side of the board. || 

12. ... Bd6 
13. Bxd6 Qxd6 
14. cxd5 

| Perhaps pushing on with, 14. c5, and following up with advancing the a-pawn and b-pawn would offer good chances to open up the black queenside. || 

14. ... exd5 

| If, 14. ... Qxd5 15. Nc3, and white will have play in the centre. By capturing with the e-pawn black has achieved 3 gains. The centre is secure from a white attack, the knight on e4 is strengthened, and a 3rd opportunity which will be revealed in a few moves. The doubled black f-pawns look weak, but just how is white to bring pressure upon them? || 

15. Nc3 O-O-O 
16. Ne2 

| White is transferring the knight over to the kingside for defensive purposes, a sign that the plans for the queenside have not worked out. Now it is time for that 3rd gain from, exd5, to show itself. Take care, accuracy is needed here. || 

16. ... Qh6 

| Much better than, 16. ... Qg6, when white can prevent the threatened mate on g2 with, 17. Nf4, which also attacks the black queen. Now the white king must remove itself from the pin up the g-file. || 

17. Kf1 Qg7 

| Black has managed to create a threat of mate on the g2 square. This is easy to stop, but there is another tactic available for black in reply. || 

18. Nf4 

| Stops mate, but black has a powerful response prepared. Take time here to find a neat idea for black. Instead, 18. g3 f4, will lead to line opening for black with a similar tactic to the game to land on white. || 

18. ... Nxf2 

| Crunch! Black wins a pawn, but since the extra pawn can be considered to be on the f-file, is it of any value? Sit back and watch an International Master showgood technique to test white. || 

19. Kxf2 Qg3+ 
20. Kf1 Qxf4 
21. Rc1 

| The only good white piece is the e1 rook which is now able to invade onto e7. Black must have a plan against this, but what? || 

21. ... Rd6 

| Black already has a queen and rook active on the kingside, the potential entry of another rook creates too many threats, white must think defensively and attempt to remove a dangerous black attacker. || 

22. Qd2 Qxd2 
23. Nxd2 Re6 
24. Nf3 Re4 

| The rook advances to bring pressure on the white d-pawn. Every black piece is working harder than every white piece. White can only attack one point in the black position despite all those isolated kingside pawns. || 

25. Rc5 Rxe1+ 
26. Nxe1 Rd8 

| Black must regroup. The white rook can not remain on c5 forever, and once pushed back the black rook can then think of activity again. || 

27. Nf3 Kb8 

| Now the black c6 knight is free to move and becomes an important player as black takes a strong grip on the position. || 

28. a3 f6 

| Preventing a white knight from invading on either the e5 or g5 square. || 

29. Ke2 Ne7 

| Defending both the d5 and f5 pawns, which now allows the d8 rook to enter the position, but on which square? Take some time to find the black manoeuvre which forces white into passivity. || 

30. Nh4 Rd6 

| In the long term black will seek to exchange rooks, but not yet. Black must use the rook to keep white passive while other gains are made across the board. When black has achieved all possible gains for a coming knight ending, only then will rooks be traded. || 

31. Rc3 Re6+ 
32. Kf2 Re4 

| For the 3rd time a black piece invades on the e4 square, definitely the best square for the rook. The white d4 pawn is a target, the black d5 pawn is about to be made secure. White will become tied down while black goes active. It might be worth considering The best plan for the black knight once the d5 pawn is safe. || 

33. Nf3 f4 

| A double purpose move. The e3 square is now a potential entry point, but for which black piece? || 

34. Rc5 b6 
35. Rc2 Kb7 
36. b4 

| The position is difficult for white. This advance is trying to restrain any black queenside activity, especially an invasion by the black king. It does however create a different weakness on a3. Defence can be either active or passive, judging which to use is not easy, and one only finds out which should have been used at the end of the game. || 

36. ... Nf5 

| The patience of this piece is about to be rewarded. It will have complete freedom to dance around the board, especially the white queenside, while the white knight is tied down to defending the d-pawn. || 

37. Re2 Ne3 
38. Rd2 Nc4 

| The white queenside pawns are now in trouble. || 

39. Ra2 Re3 

| The black rook and knight finally coordinate to win material. Oh, and didn't black have weaknesses on the kingside since move 8, and yet these have not received any threats whatsoever. Perhaps it is not being weak itself that counts, but being weak and capable of being ganged up on. || 

40. a4 Rb3 
41. b5 Rb2+ 

| Rooks are forced off at the most favourable time. The white queenside pawns are vulnerable, but surely the same now applies to the black kingside pawns? Yes, the white king can wander up the f-file consuming pawns as he goes and eventually capture the black h-pawn. But how many moves does this take? Black will not sit passively, there will be a passed pawn on the queenside very soon, and there might be another passed pawn when the black king invades the centre. So much for the general ideas, now all it needs is to calculate in depth to find the most accurate way to win. || 

42. Rxb2 Nxb2 
43. Nd2 

| A double purpose move. The f-file is now available for the white king to invade and win 3 black pawns. There is also an important defensive role for this knight for white, but on which square will it be most effective? || 

43. ... Nxa4 
44. Nb1 

| Preventing the black knight from using the c3 square to win the b5 pawn. Black must settle for only 1 passed pawn on the queenside. || 

44. ... a6 
45. bxa6+ Kxa6 

| Let the mutual king walks begin. || 

46. Kf3 Kb5 
47. Kxf4 Kc4 
48. Kf5 

| Time for more accuracy from black again. Sometimes the obvious move is not the best. || 

48. ... Nc3 

| The white knight needs to be evicted from the b1 square. The overall plan for the rest of the game is coming into view. Black will lose all the kingside pawns, leaving white with 2 distant kingside connected passed pawns. One of the black queenside pawns will cost white a knight, leaving black a piece up. The black knight must be able to prevent the white pawns from promoting before the remaining black pawn can do so. Again these are the broad ideas, all it takes is to calculate the precise best moves to achieve these aims, and accuracy will be required at a certain point in the future. || 

49. Nd2+ 

| The white knight needs to get behind the advancing black pawns, from where it will try to make pawn advancement as slow as possible, which can be combined with a few annoying checks. || 

49. ... Kxd4 
50. Nf3+ Ke3 

| The black king might appear to be heading for the weak white pawns. Not so, If black tries to win those pawns white will change plans, and ignore the black h-pawn and instead attempt to eliminate the black queenside pawns with the king. This would leave black with only the h-pawn which should not promote, the white knight will prevent advances until the white king can also run back to assist halting the black h-pawn. || 

51. Kxf6 d4 
52. Kg7 

| Very important move to be played by black now, take care. || 

52. ... h5 

| Not played simply to avoid capture, as the white king can chase it down. There is a much deeper reason for this advance, and it is all to do with preventing a white pawn from promoting as indicated in the broad plans discussed above. || 

53. Kg6 

| Another very important move for black to find. Take care or all the hard work will be thrown away. || 

53. ... b5 

| Waht? Surely if black is pushing the h-pawn on the previous move, then why is it now being left to perish? The answer is that black requires the white king to be on a very important square. Had the h-pawn been left on h7, or pushed further to h4, then the white king would not be vulnerable to a neat trick. Take some time to work out why the h5 square is to be where the white king must sit when the mutual pawn race starts rolling. || 

54. Kxh5 b4 
55. Ne5 

| Getting behind the advancing d-pawn to permit a fork of pawn and black king. || 

55. ... d3 
56. g4 d2 
57. Nc4+ Ke2 
58. Nxd2 Kxd2 

| So black finally wins a piece. But, the white g-pawn has a free run since the black king is too far away. This means the g-pawn will cost black a knight, reducing it to a single pawn each. Again, if the reason for the white king being forced to capture on h5 has not yet occurred to you, take more time to work out why it is so. || 

59. g5 Nd5 
60. g6 Nf4+ 

| Ah, the white king on h5 receives a forking check, the g6 pawn will be captured at the cost of the black knight, and the black b-pawn promotes first and the white h-pawn is not sufficiently advanced for a known drawn queen against pawn ending. || 

White resigns, 0-1 

| The game could have finished with, 61. Kh6 Nxg6 62. Kxg6 b3 63. h4 b2 64. h5 b1=Q+, and the h-pawn is too slow. After, 65. Kg7 Qg1+ 66. Kh7 Qg5 67. h6, black will easily find, 67. ... Qf6, and the white king must give up defending the h-pawn with. 68. Kg8 Qxh6, a simple black win. || 

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## Unannotated game. 

White: Krush, 2380. 
Black: Crouch, 2403. 
Event: Hampstead (England) 2001. 
Result: 0-1 in 60 moves. 
Opening: Caro-Kann Defence, Exchange Variation, B13. 

1. e4 c6 
2. d4 d5 
3. exd5 cxd5 
4. Bd3 Nc6 
5. c3 Nf6 
6. h3 g6 
7. Bf4 Bf5 
8. Bxf5 gxf5 
9. Nf3 Rg8 
10. O-O e6 
11. Re1 Ne4 

12. c4 Bd6 
13. Bxd6 Qxd6 
14. cxd5 exd5 
15. Nc3 O-O-O 
16. Ne2 Qh6 
17. Kf1 Qg7 
18. Nf4 Nxf2 
19. Kxf2 Qg3+ 
20. Kf1 Qxf4 
21. Rc1 Rd6 
22. Qd2 Qxd2 
23. Nxd2 Re6 
24. Nf3 Re4 
25. Rc5 Rxe1+ 
26. Nxe1 Rd8 
27. Nf3 Kb8 
28. a3 f6 
29. Ke2 Ne7 
30. Nh4 Rd6 
31. Rc3 Re6+ 
32. Kf2 Re4 
33. Nf3 f4 
34. Rc5 b6 
35. Rc2 Kb7 
36. b4 Nf5 
37. Re2 Ne3 
38. Rd2 Nc4 
39. Ra2 Re3 
40. a4 Rb3 
41. b5 Rb2+ 
42. Rxb2 Nxb2 
43. Nd2 Nxa4 
44. Nb1 a6 
45. bxa6+ Kxa6 
46. Kf3 Kb5 
47. Kxf4 Kc4 
48. Kf5 Nc3 
49. Nd2+ Kxd4 
50. Nf3+ Ke3 
51. Kxf6 d4 
52. Kg7 h5 
53. Kg6 b5 
54. Kxh5 b4 
55. Ne5 d3 
56. g4 d2 
57. Nc4+ Ke2 
58. Nxd2 Kxd2 
59. g5 Nd5 
60. g6 Nf4+ 
White resigns, 0-1 

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