Speelman's Agony: A Scandi and a French

by Jonathan Speelman
3/22/2020 – This week GM JON SPEELMAN breaks down a French and a Scandinavian from an Indian. Once again, Jon recorded a video version of his analysis. | Send in your own games! | Jon welcomes submissions from readers. If your games are selected for the Agony column, not only will you get free detailed commentary of your games by one of chess’s great authors and instructors, and former world no. 4 player, but you also win a free three-month ChessBase Premium Account!
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Agony & Ecstasy #118

This week's pair of games are by Joshi Prasant, an Indian in his mid to late twenties who plays rapid games online. He writes:

PrasantI am from Nakhatrana(kutch) in India and am a pharmacist with a Master of Pharmacy qualification. I am currently working at Global Healthcare Billing Partners Pvt. Ltd. as a medical coder.

I started playing chess at age of 21 after completing my graduation. I know it late according to today's chess scenario but I am giving my best to improve my skills in chess. Currently I am unrated player but soon I will plan to play in FIDE tournaments. I am playing regularly online and training two hours a day.

Both of the games Joshi sent me were very tough battles, and he's provided an opening note to each but apart from that everything is mine.

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,170,31954%2421---
1.d4949,86755%2434---
1.Nf3282,62856%2440---
1.c4182,73156%2442---
1.g319,74556%2427---
1.b314,34754%2427---
1.f45,91748%2377---
1.Nc33,81651%2384---
1.b41,75948%2379---
1.a31,22254%2404---
1.e31,07349%2409---
1.d395550%2378---
1.g466646%2361---
1.h444953%2374---
1.c343551%2426---
1.h328356%2419---
1.a411460%2465---
1.f39346%2435---
1.Nh39066%2505---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.e4 I selected this game because despite reaching a winning position I end up loosing game because I carelessly played some moves in the endgame and end up in losing side. d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qd8 5.Nf3 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Bc4 b6 8.Ne5 8.Qe2 Bb7 9.0-0-0 8...Bb7 9.0-0 0-0
This is fairly archtypal Rubinstein French in which White has some pressure but Black has a fairly sound position and will be okay of nothing bad happens early on. They are quite delicate and I think that Re1 looks most accurate here, one point being that Nc6? gets hit with: 10.Qe2 10.Re1 Nc6? 10...Nbd7 11.Qe2 10...c5 11.dxc5 11.Ba6 Nxe5 11...Qb8 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Nd7 Qc8 14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bxb7 Qxb7 16.Ne4 11...Bxa6 12.Nxc6 Qd6 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Nd5+- 10...Nc6 11.Nxf7?! You'd much rather retain the knight on e5 but Rad1 Nxd4 just doesn't work. Instead Joshi tries an immediate tactic which is something that White would like to play but shouldn't really quite work or at least not give White the advantage. 11.Rad1 Nxd4 11.Nxc6 Bxc6 12.Rad1 Qd7 This is a decent version for Black. The exchange of the e5 knight is a serious gain. 13.Rfe1 11...Rxf7 11...Nxd4 12.Nxd8 Nxe2+ 13.Nxe2 Rfxd8 14.Bxe6+ Kf8 is a clear pawn for White. 12.Bxe6 12.Qxe6 Qf8 13.Rfe1 Na5 14.Qxf7+ Qxf7 15.Bxf7+ Kxf7 Black looks a bit better here. 12...Nxd4 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Qc4+ Kf8 15.Rad1 Bc5? 15...c5 was forced, when if 16.Nb5 16.Rfe1 Qd7 Black is safe and clearly better. 16...Qd7 16...Qd5 was my first thought but then White gets enough. 17.Qxd5 Nxd5 18.Bxe7+ Nxe7 19.Nxd4 cxd4 20.Rxd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Rxd4 18.Qxd4? Qc6 19.f3 Bc5 18...Ba6‼ Houdini 18...Qf5 19.Qc3 Qb5 20.Re1 Qxg5 21.Qc7 Bc5 and Black is winning. 16.b4 Bd5
There was no big temptation to cash in but Black gets left with two knights which are at least visually a big nuisance, and the calm Qd3 would have been much better. 17.Nxd5 17.Qd3! Bxb4 17...Bb7 18.bxc5 bxc5 19.Rfe1+- 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Nxd5 Qxd5 20.Qxd4 Qxd4 21.Rxd4 Bd6 and White is clearly winning though there's still some work to do. 17...Qxd5 18.Qxd5 Nxd5 19.bxc5 bxc5 19...Ne2+ 20.Kh1 Nec3 21.Rd3 c6 22.Bd2 Na4 23.c4 Nxc5 24.Rf3+ Nf6 25.Bb4 and Black's short term pressure has dissipated. 20.c4?! Now Black gets a lot of cavalry working and even though it can be defended it was easy to go wrong. 20.Rfe1 20.Be3 Nc3 21.Rd3 Re8 22.Re1 and the knights are getting entangled e.g.: Nxa2 23.c3 Nc1 24.Rxc1 Ne2+ 25.Kf1 Rxe3 26.fxe3 Nxc1 27.Rd7+- 20...Nc3 21.Ra1 21.Rde1 21.Rd3 Nxa2 22.Re3 21...Re8 21...Nc2! regained the exchange. 22.Be3 22.Be3 22.Be3 22.Bd2 22...Nc2 23.Bxc5+ Kf7 24.Rac1 24.f3 Nxa1 25.Rxa1 a6 26.Kf1 Re2 27.Rc1 Nxa2 28.Rd1 24...Ne2+ 25.Kh1 Nxc1 26.Rxc1 a6 27.h3 27.g3 was probably better to give the king a quciker path to the centre. Re1+ 28.Rxe1 Nxe1 29.Bd4 g6 30.Bc3 Nc2 31.Kg2 Ke6 32.Kf3 Na3 33.c5 Kd5 34.Kf4 Kxc5 35.Kg5 Kd5 36.Kh6 in a race with bishop vs knight, White should win. 27...Re2 28.Rd1 Ke6 29.Rd8 Re1+ 30.Kh2 Ra1 31.Re8+ 31.Rg8 was much better. 31...Kd7 32.Re7+ Kc6 33.Be3 33.Ba7 Kb7 33...Nxe3 34.fxe3 Rxa2 35.Rxg7
This ending should be quite good for White but with the a-pawn running it requires a lot of accuracy. 35...Re2 36.Rxh7 Rxe3 37.Rh6+ Kb7 38.Rg6 38.Rh5 Kb6 39.g4 c6 40.Rh8 Kb7 41.g5 a5 41...Re6 42.h4 a5 43.h5 a4 44.g6 42.g6 38...Re4 38...a5 39.c5 Rc4 40.Rg5?! This is a passive square though it's already very complicated: 40.Rg3 a5 41.Ra3 41.Rd3 a4 42.g4 Rb4 43.g5 Rb2+ 44.Kg3 Rb3 45.Rf3 Rxf3+ 46.Kxf3 a3 47.g6= 41...a4 42.g4 Kc6 43.g5 Kd7 44.Re3 Rb4 45.g6 Rb2+ 46.Kg3 Rb3 47.Kf4 Rxe3 48.Kxe3 a3 49.g7 a2 50.g8Q a1Q 51.Qd5+ Obviously White has the advantage and, indeed, tablebases tell us that (with vanishingly unlikely) "perfect play" White is winning starting with, Kc8 52.c6 Qe1+ 53.Kd3 Qf1+ 54.Kc2 40...Kc6 41.Kg3 a5 42.h4 a4 43.h5 a3 44.Rg6+ Kb5 45.Rg8 a2
46.Ra8? The losing move. JS 46.Rb8+! Ka4 47.Ra8+ Kb3 48.h6 Ra4 49.Rb8+ Kc2 50.h7 a1Q 51.h8Q Qe1+ 52.Kh3! should still draw. Ra3+ 53.Kh2 Qg3+ 54.Kh1 46...Ra4 The pawn queens so Joshi resigned. A very tough battle in which things went wrong at the end. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Prashant19941548notalentbum451215330–12020B01Live Chess
Prashant19941577dragutinperazic15541–02020C17Live Chess

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This DVD gives you the key to start out with the French Defence. GM Yannick Pelletier is a specialist of this opening, and believes that the most efficient way to understand its ideas, plans, and typical structures is to study classical lines.

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Jonathan Speelman, born in 1956, studied mathematics but became a professional chess player in 1977. He was a member of the English Olympic team from 1980–2006 and three times British Champion. He played twice in Candidates Tournaments, reaching the semi-final in 1989. He twice seconded a World Championship challenger: Nigel Short and then Viswanathan Anand against Garry Kasparov in London 1993 and New York 1995.

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