Chess game that I have just played

[David Blower]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f6 4. Bc4 Nge7 5. d3 Nb4 6. O-O d5 7. exd5 Nbxd5 8. Bd2 Be6 9. Re1 c6 10. d4 Qc7 11. Nxd5 cxd5 12. Bb3 O-O-O 13. dxe5 fxe5 14. Nxe5 Ng6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. g3 Bh3 17. Bf4 Bd6 18. Bxd6 Rxd6 19. Re3 Rf8 20. Rc3 Rc6 21. Rxc6 bxc6 22. Qd3 Qb6 23. Qe3 d4 24. Qe1 g5 25. Be6+ Kd8 26. Bxh3 Re8 27. Qd2 Qxb2 28. Qa5+ Ke7 29. Qxg5+ Kf7 30. Qc1 Rd8 {Ignore this he said in the chat he was meant to play Rb8} 31. Qf4+ {I believed him so decided to not take the queen} 31... Ke7 32. Qc1 Rb8 {Position is not exactly the same as it would have been, because the king moved, but close enough anyway.} 33. Qxb2 Rxb2 34. Bf5 Kf6 35. Bd3 g5 36. Kf1 c5 37. Ke2 Rb8 38. Kd2 Rc8 39. c4 Rb8 40. Rb1 Rf8 41. Be4 Ke5 42. f3 g4 43. Rf1 a5 44. Bd5 gxf3 45. Rxf3 Rd8 46. Ra3 Rxd5 47. cxd5 Kxd5 48. Rxa5 Kc4 49. h4 Kb4 50. Rxc5 Kxc5 51. h5 Kd6 52. h6 Ke7 53. h7 Kf7 54. h8=Q d3 55. Qh6 Kg8 56. Qf6 Kh7 57. Qg5 Kh8 58. Kxd3 Kh7 59. Ke4 Kh8 60. Kf5 Kh7 61. Kf6 1-0

So I hope everyone is keeping safe under the lock down.

This game I played earlier today online against one of the children that I know in real life.

I was white in this game and won. However I want you to all comment from black's perspective. I of course have already looked at the game myself, ready to give some feedback, but I will allow you all to take a fresh look at it.

[IM Jack Rudd]

He lasted a bit longer than he would have done had you played 8.Nxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxe5.

[Roger de Coverly]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 f6

Don't coaches teach that whilst propping up a pawn on d5 with .. c6 is frequently a plausible idea, that doing the same to the e pawn with .. f6 usually isn't. To confuse matters it's a normal idea in the Exchange Spanish.

The problem being, as Jack notes, the tactical idea Nxe5 followed by Qh5 may be devastating.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi David,

In your effort to try and reconstruct the position where your opponent left their Queen hanging. You also failed to take the King.

White to play. David played 32.Qc1.

3r4/p3k1p1/2p5/8/3p1Q2/6PB/PqP2P1P/R5K1 w - - 0 32

I'm thinking the mate would have more helpful to the young player (checkmate being more important than winning a Queen)

Yes playing 8.Nxe5 would have been a good lesson for them. You can tell a young player moves like f6 opening up the
h5-e8 diagonal allowing Qh5+ can be, and often is, disastrous. But It's not until it happens to them the lesson sinks home.

"There are two kinds of chess player, those who have been back rank mated and those who are going to be back rank mated." Russian proverb.
(You can show dozens of examples but they must feel the burn to know how much it stings.)

Opponent was alert enough to realise here:

2k2r2/p5p1/1qp1B3/6p1/3p4/6Pb/PPP2P1P/R3Q1K1 b - - 0 25

25...Bxe6 26. Qxe6+ either mates the Black King or losses the f8 Rook so letting the Bishop go was best although it looks like a blunder.

There you can point out the dangers of having undefended pieces (the h3 Bishop and f8 Rook) in a position when
there is a check on the board can also lead to a disaster, though in this case the lesson seems to have been learned.
(sadly that one needs topping up again and again, non mating combinations very often feature undefended pieces.)

[David Blower]

Thanks for the feedback. I have just sent him some puzzles which have undefended pieces all of which I have picked up on chesskid.com