You are on page 1of 9

Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 1

C15
NN
NN
[newshutz]
C15: French: 3 Nc3 Bb4: Unusual White
4th moves
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
French exchange is an interesting choice
for an attacking player, but it does take a
French defense player out into the open
Qxd5 Black does not want a draw 4.Nc3
Bb4 5.Qg4 Ne7 6.Qxg7 Rg8 7.Qe5
Diagram
________
(m+
((( ((
(
w_
(
` .

_`

White declines the second pawn and


goes for a queenless middlegame, a
pawn up(at least for a while), with a
wrecked pawn structure, central space
and the two bishops Bxc3+ There is no
urgency to this exchange
[It would be better to develop with the
"book" move: 7...Nbc6 8.Qxd5 Nxd5
9.Bd2 Nxd4 10.Nxd5 Bxd2+ 11.Kxd2
exd5 12.Re1+ Kf8 13.c3 Nf5 14.Nf3
Nd6 15.Re3 Bf5 16.Nh4 Be6 17.Bd3
d4 18.cxd4 Bxa2 19.g3 h6 20.Rhe1
Be6 21.f4 Rd8 22.Rxe6
Smart,M (2070)-Summerscale,A
(2479)/England 2005/CBM 109 ext/0-1
(41) ]
8.bxc3 Qxe5+ 9.dxe5 Diagram
________
(m+
((( ((
(


.

_`

Nbc6 a natural developing move, but


white can secure the e-pawn, and Black
may want the knight on b8 to help trade
off the light square bishops.
[better is 9...b6 10.f4 Ba6 ]
10.Nf3
[more solid is 10.f4 but white is falling
behind in development. ]
10...Ng6 11.Bb5? giving up the two
bishops a6?
[ 11...Bd7 because 12.Bxc6 Bxc6
is good for black, and otherwise, black
gets his pawn back. The bishop is fine
on d7 for now. After ...O-O-O black will
have plenty of time to either trade the
Bd7 off or move it to c6 ]
12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.0-0 Bb7 14.Re1 c5
Diagram
15.Ng5? starts a string of tactial
oversights focused on the vulnerability of
the g2 square and the strength of Black's
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 2
________
m+
(( ((
( (
(

` .

_

bishop and rook Ne7?


[ 15...Nh4 adding another attacker to
g2, Ne7 only unmasks the rook ]
16.f3?! a future target
[ 16.g3! closes down the g-file. The
white square weaknesses are not fatal,
because the queens are gone. If the
queens were on the board, g3 would
likely be a blunder ]
16...Rg7 17.Ne4 0-0-0 Diagram
(Diagram)
White has a nicely placed central knight,
but Black has completed development
and is looking to double rooks on the g
file. The key to white's position is holding
on to the e5 pawn. Restraining black's
counterplay along the g-file and finishing
development of his "bad" bishop would
indicate Bf4, Bg5, or Bh6 18.Nxc5?
[ 18.Bg5 Bxe4 19.Bf6 Rg6 20.Rxe4
where black is likely to play Rd7
( but should play 20...Rd2
counter attacking and sacking the Ne7
for solid control of the 2-rank. ) 21.Bxe7
Rxe7 22.Rd1 ]
________
m +
(( ((
( (
(
`
.

_

18...Bxf3 19.g3 Diagram


________
m +
( ((
( (
`

( .

_

Rd1? trades Black's active rook for


White's passive rook, and leads to the
exchange of the opposite colored
bishops. Without his control of the light
squares, Black cannot keep White's
knight from the nice e4 square. and
white can deny d5 and f5 to Black's
knight. We are looking at an endgame
where white will have a superior minor
piece 20.Rxd1 Bxd1 21.Bh6! Rg6
Diagram
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 3
________
m +
( ((
( (
`

.

( _

22.Rxd1
[and then there are tactics 22.Bf8! Nf5
23.Rxd1 Rg8 24.Nd7 ]
22...Rxh6 23.Rd7 Nc6 24.Rxf7 Nd8
Diagram
________
m +
( (
( (
`

.

_

25.Rf6
[ 25.Rf8! binds black up c6 26.Re8
Kc7 27.Kg2+ Diagram
the Nd8 still cannot move, and the Rh6
is misplaced. ]
25...Rh5 26.Nxe6 Rxe5 27.Nxd8??
trades white's dominating knight for
________
+
m (
(((
`

.
_

black's passive knight.


[ 27.Nd4 ]
27...Kxd8 28.Kf2 right kind of idea,
centralize your king in the endgame and
deny your opponents rook entry points,
but
[ 28.Rxa6 gives Black two problems
that would prove fatal. The passed a-
pawn, and an eventual passed g-pawn,
or a connected pair of passed pawns
g&h. It also removes another worry for
white, as we will see ]
28...Ra5 29.Ke3 Rxa2 30.Kd3 a5
This is a critical position in the game for
White. His rook is more active, but how
and when to use it and for what is
important. Diagram
(Diagram)
31.Ra6 the a-pawn is not far advanced
enough for White's rook to have the
space it needs to stay on the a-file, white
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 4
________
m +
( (

(

_ .

needs his own passed pawns.


[Because Black's rook is in front of his
pawn, White still has time 31.Rh6 Ra1
32.Rxh7 a4 33.Kc4 Rb1 cutting off
the King, but 34.Rh8+ Kd7 35.Ra8
gets White's rook into position Rg1
36.Rxa4 Rg2 37.h4 Rxg3 38.Kb3
Rh3 Diagram
(Diagram)
and white can win this endgame, but it
is not easy. White must give up his c-
pawns to keep the Black king over
there, so he can queen the h-pawn,
for which Black must give up his rook.
Then he must stop Black from
queening his c-pawn, with White's king
starting on h8. Easy to do with a queen,
but not so easy with a rook. ]
31...Kc8 The a-pawn cannot be saved,
so what can Black gain while white
pursues it? A chance to gobble White's
kingside pawns
[so pull the white rook out of position,
when it captures Diagram
31...a4 32.Rh6 or if White goes back
________
+
(m



_ .

________
m +
( (

(

_ .

for the kingside, get the c-pawns a3


33.Rxh7 Ra1 34.Kc4 Rb1 35.Rh8+
Kd7 36.Ra8 Rh1 37.h4 Rg1
38.Rxa3 Rxg3 39.Ra4 Rh3 40.Kb3 ]
32.c4 Ra3+ 33.Kd4 Kb7 34.Rh6
The rook ends up on h6 anyway, but with
loss of time. a4
Diagram
35.Kc5? The move to the c-file needs to
be timed right. It would be better to wait
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 5
________
+
m( (


(_
.

for the pawn to go to a3, then Kc3


[ 35.Rxh7 The rook can snag the h-
pawn and come across on the 5-rank
to catch the a-pawn ]
35...Rf3= 36.Kb4 a3 37.Rh5 a2
38.Rb5+ Kc6 39.Ra5 Rf2 40.Rxa2
Rxh2 41.Ra6+ Kb7 42.Kb5 Diagram
________
+
m( (

_

.

Rg2 plenty of time to catch this pawn


[grab the freeby 42...Rxc2 ]
43.c5 Rxg3 44.Rh6 Diagram
Rc3
[tactical shot 44...c6+ 45.Rxc6 Rg6
________
+
m( (

_

.

46.Rb6+ Rxb6+ 47.cxb6 and the race


will be a tie h5 48.c4 h4 49.c5 h3
50.c6+ Kb8 51.Ka6 h2 52.c7+ Kc8
53.b7+ Kxc7 54.Ka7 h1Q 55.b8Q+
Kd7= ]
45.Rh2 h5 46.Kb4 Rg3 47.Rxh5
Rg4+ 48.c4 Rg7 49.Kb5 c6+ 50.Kb4
Kc7 51.Rh1 Diagram
(Diagram)
Rg8? Just shuffle the rook on the 7-rank
for the draw. The king can slide over to
b7 if the White rook slips to the a-file.
[ 51...Rf7 52.Ra1 Kb7
A) The only reason to move the rook
off the 7th is If the White king tries to
invade, then the Black rook threatens
to make things unpleasant. 53.Ka5
Rf2 with defensive rooks checks
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 6
________
+
m
(

_
.

from behind. 54.Rb1+ Kc7 55.Rh1


Rf7 56.Rb1 Rf2
A1) 57.Rb6 is not a problem,
because Ra2+ forces a favorable
exchange of rooks 58.Kb4 Rb2+
59.Kc3 ( 59.Ka5 or a draw by
repetition ) 59...Rxb6 ;
A2) 57.Rh1 Rf7 and we are back
where we started ;
B) If the rook no longer threatens
Ra7+ the king can slide back 53.Rb1
Kc7 ]
52.Rh7+ Kb8
[ 52...Kc8 is the move that draws, it is
not easy to see why, here is a sketch
following the winning plan after ...Kb8
Diagram
(Diagram)
53.Ka5 Rg4 54.Kb6 If the king was
on b8, then the black rook would have
to return to the 8-rank now instead of
taking on c4 Rxc4 55.Kxc6 Kb8
Diagram
The key to this position is the Black
rook having checking distance. These
________
m +

(

_
.

________
m +

_


.

endgames are very tricky, becase after


we finish looking at how Black draws,
we will see that if the Black King was
on d8, it would be a win for white. One
thing to watch out for, is the Philidor
position (the famous drawing position)
where the white pawn is on the 6th and
the Black king controls the queening
square, and the black rook checks the
White king from behind, and that king
cannot find shelter in front of its pawn.
56.Rh8+ Ka7 57.Rc8 Rc1 58.Kd7
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 7
Rd1+ 59.Kc7 Rh1 60.c6 Rh7+
61.Kd6 Black's rook has plenty of
checking distance Rh1 and white
cannot advance the pawn, because
the White king will have no shelter
from the checks. 62.Rg8 Rh6+
63.Kc7 Rh7+ 64.Kc8 Kb6 65.Rg6
Rh8+ 66.Kd7 Rh7+ 67.Kd6 Rh1
Diagram
________
+

m_


.

Black threatens Rd1+ separating the


White King from his pawn 68.Kd7
repeats ( 68.c7 advancing the pawn
loses it Rd1+ 69.Ke7+ Kxc7 ; 68.Rf6
Rd1+ 69.Ke7 Kc7 ; 68.Kd5 Kc7
lets Black get a Philidor position
69.Rg7+ Kc8 70.Kd6 threatens
checkmate, but the White king has no
cover from Rd1+ Diagram
(Diagram)
) ]
[ 52...Kd8 Diagram
loses by 53.Ka5 Rg4 54.Kb6 Rxc4
55.Kxc6 Rc1 Diagram
________
m +

_


.

________
m +

(

_
.

Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 8


________
m +

_


.

This is the dual of the draw above, but


with the King on d8, black loses
56.Rh8+ Ke7 57.Rc8 Rc2 58.Kb7
Rb2+ ( 58...Kd7 59.c6+ Kd6
60.Rd8+ ) 59.Kc7 Ra2 60.c6
the pawn now covers the d7 square
Ra7+ 61.Kb6 Ra1 62.Rb8 Rb1+
( 62...Kd6 63.Rd8+ ) 63.Kc7 Rc1
64.Rb6 The rook guards the pawn
while the king moves to c8 and then it
covers the d6 square, when the pawn
advances to c7 Rc2 65.Kc8 Kd6
66.c7+ Ke7 67.Kb8 Kd7 68.Rb7
and if the Black King remains in
contact with c8, the pawn queens with
double check. ]
53.Ka5 Rc8 Black lost on time
[ 53...Rc8 Diagram
54.Kb6 White can now pick up the c-
pawn at the right time. After that, White
can shield his king from rook checks
________
m +

(
_

.

between the two c-pawns Rf8 55.Rh6


to shield the king from checks on the 6-
rank Rg8 56.Kxc6 Diagram
________
m +

_


.

Rf8 staying on the 8-rank to stop


checks forcing the Black king away
from the queening square does not
work ( 56...Rg7 nor does trying to
fence off the White king with ideas of
checking along the 7-rank 57.Rh8+
Ka7 58.Rd8 Rg6+ 59.Kc7 Rg7+
60.Rd7 Rg6 61.c6 Ka6 62.Re7 Rf6
63.Kd7 Rf4 64.c7 Rd4+ 65.Kc8
Fritz12 Printout, Robert Newshutz, 8/14/2011 9
Rxc4 66.Kd8 Rd4+ 67.Rd7 Diagram
________
_ +

m


.

One of the key shielding formations


Rc4 68.c8Q+ ) 57.Kb6 Kc8 58.c6
Rd8 trying to get the rook out for
checks without getting checkmated
( 58...Kd8 Diagram
________
m +

_


.

loses to a rook switch 59.Rh7 Kc8


60.Ra7 Kd8 61.Ra8+ Ke7 62.Rxf8
Kxf8 63.c7 ) 59.Rh1 Diagram
Rd2 ( 59...Re8 60.c5 Rf8 61.Ra1
Kb8 62.c7+ Kc8 63.c6 Rd8
64.Ra8# ) 60.Rh8+ Rd8 61.Rxd8+
________
m +

_


.

Kxd8 62.Kb7 ]
1-0

You might also like