GAME 1:
Edward Davies - Humphrey Lwambula
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 b6 A generally incorrect plan. 5.Nc3 Nb4 [F1 5...Nf6 6.Bd2 Bc5 7.Qg3 0–0 8.0–0–0 Qe7] 6.Bd3 [F1 6.Qd2 white's position here is very good according to Fritz, but it was very difficult for me to see this at the time as it seems naturally bad for me to hem in the dark squared bishop by moving the queen a second time. 6...Bb7 7.a3 Na6 (7...Nc6 8.Nf3 Bc5 9.Bc4 Nf6 10.e5 white's position is very good) 8.Bc4 Nc5 9.Nf3 white doesn't immediately attend to the development of the bishop and completes castling before this, with a good position.] 6...Ba6 7.a3? A ridiculous blunder. I think I was trying to match the speed of my opponent to avoid later time trouble, but it didn't help by prompting this blunder which I noticed almost immediately after playing the move. 7...Nxd3+? Much to my relief, my opponent overlooked the opportunity. [7...Bxd3 obviously pawn takes bishop loses instantly, so white is forced to play pawn take knight, losing a pawn 8.axb4 Bxc2 9.Nf3 white has lost a pawn and has weak queenside pawns. However I now believe my opponent was fully aware of this variation but was worried about the lag in development he might be subject to in bringing his bishop back to safety. 9...Bxb4 10.0–0 a5] 8.cxd3 g6 fritz isn't too keen on this. It seems like a reasonable plan to me though. [preferring instead 8...Bc5 9.Qg3 The black position is difficult here though.; 8...c6 after further calculation, fritz goes with this 9.Nf3 Bc5 10.Qe2] 9.Nge2 Bg7 10.0–0 Ne7 11.Bd2 [F1 11.Qf3 0–0] 11...d6 fritz prefers and immediate castling [11...0–0 12.Rae1 c5 13.Qg3 =] 12.Rad1 [it's probably better to play 12.f4 immediately] 12...0–0 13.b4 [F1 13.Qh3 ] 13...c5 [f1 13...d5 14.Qg3 d4 15.Nb1 c5 16.bxc5 bxc5 17.Bf4 f5 18.Nd2 fxe4 19.Nxe4 Nf5 20.Qh3 slightly better for black] 14.b5 [or 14.Rfe1 ] 14...Bb7 15.f4? A critical error. The strength of the pawn push d5 for black has just been strengthened by the bishop on b7 so the centre pawns must be contested. [15.d4 very important. e.g.: 15...cxd4 a) 15...c4 16.a4 is bad for black 16...d5 17.f3; b) 15...d5 16.Bc1 b1) 16.dxc5 d4 17.Qg5 f6 (17...dxc3 18.Bxc3 f6 19.Rxd8 fxg5 20.Rd7 Bxe4 21.Rxe7 Bxc3 22.Nxc3 Bf5 23.c6 is winning for white, however this line is very complex) 18.Qg3; b2) 16.exd5? Nf5 17.Qd3 cxd4 18.Ne4 Qxd5 19.f3 the position completely falls apart for white; b3) 16.Nxd5? Nxd5 17.Qb3 (17.exd5 Re8 18.Qd3 Qxd5 19.Nf4 Qxd4 Again the position dissolves for white.) ; 16...Rc8 b1) 16...cxd4 17.Nxd4 is perfectly fine for white; b2) 16...dxe4 17.dxc5 is simple and wins for white 17...Qc8 18.c6; b3) 16...Bxd4 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Qxd4 f6 (18...dxe4 19.Qf6 Nd5 20.Nxd5 Bxd5 21.Qe5 the bishop is lost 21...Re8 22.Qxd5) ; 17.dxc5 accuracy is still greatly required 17...Rxc5 18.Rfe1 Qa8; c) 15...Bxd4 16.Nxd4 cxd4 17.Qxd4 is very good for white; 16.Nxd4 Qd7 is fine for white] 15...d5! the correct move 16.Nxd5? this is a poor move in that it resolves the situation and black will have a big advantage.. it was better to keep the game complicated. However, for some reason I was happier playing a move I knew was clearly bad but which I could understand fully than to play a muddy move which I suspected was also bad. That is a bad habit which I will have to get out of.. in this case the muddy option was far preferable in a game, (perhaps especially as it was a rapid game). [16.d4 the position now has so many variations due to the central pawn tension, that it isn't likely to be easy for black, despite his advantage. 16...dxe4 (16...cxd4 17.Nxd4 dxe4 18.Bc1 Qc7 19.Bb2) 17.dxc5 Nf5 18.Qf2 bxc5 19.Qxc5 Qh4] 16...Nxd5 17.exd5 Bxd5 The critical part of the game is over and black has won it. The rest of the game is perhaps irrelevant. 18.Rde1 Re8 19.Qg3 f5 20.Kh1 Qd7 21.Ng1 Qxb5 22.Ne2 Qb2 23.Bc1 Qc2 24.Rf2 Bd4 25.Nxd4 Rxe1+ 0-1
GAME 2:
Humphrey Lwambula - Edward Davies
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 This move is harmless, as I had recently read in Karpov's book on the Caro-Kann advance. Nimzowitsch discovered the plan of Qa5+ - Qa6. Quoting from the book: "It has been shown that White has nothing to counter this plan; moreover very often it is Black who seizes the initiative". 4...Bxd3 5.Qxd3 Qa5+ The right idea, but e6 should be played first. [5...e6 e.g. 6.f4 Qa5+ 7.c3 Qa6] 6.c3 back to the main line [6.Nc3 was the test of black's inaccurate move order.] 6...Qa6 7.Qf3 a decent enough continuation, avoiding the queen trade [the usual moves: 7.Qxa6 Nxa6 8.Be3 e6 9.Nd2 Ne7 etc] 7...e6 8.Ne2 Ne7 9.0–0 Ng6 [F1 9...Nd7 ] 10.Nd2 [F1 10.Bg5 Nd7] 10...Be7 11.g3?! this doesn't convince. I had no intention of occupying f4 or h4 with my knight, and now the white king's light squares look severely weaker. [11.Re1 Nd7 12.Nb3 Nb6] 11...Nd7 12.h4 h5 13.a4?! Perhaps this is dubious. [13.Re1 f6 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Nf4 Nxf4 16.Qxf4 e5 is about equal and fine for black (or more ambitiously (note how this matches Karpov's words; one option is no trouble for black, and the other might give him an initiative). 16...c5 17.Nf3) 17.dxe5 fxe5] 13...f6 14.exf6 gxf6 15.Re1 e5 not the most accurate according to fritz, which prefers 0–0–0 [15...0–0–0 16.b4 Rhg8] 16.Qf5 fritz doesn't like this, and prefers b4 [16.b4 the position is very, if not extremely, hard to judge.. probably the kind of position only play testing between two good players would give a verdict to, but unfortunately, two good players aren't likely to get into this position.] 16...Rg8 17.b4 after the time spent on Qf5, fritz gives up on this move [17.Qxh5 0–0–0] 17...0–0–0 18.Kh2 Kb8 [maybe better is 18...Qb6 ] 19.Nb3 Bd6 20.Ba3 Fritz isn't keen on this move [20.Be3 e4 21.Qxh5 Nb6 the position remains very complicated] 20...Nxh4 according to Fritz, black is still better after this sacrifice. It prefers 20..Bf7 however. [20...Bc7 21.b5 cxb5 22.axb5 Qxb5 23.Rab1 Qc6 maybe it is a matter of preference because this looks like anything but a simple position.] 21.gxh4 exd4+?! definitely dubious [21...Qxa4 although it feels anti-instinctive to grab such a pawn, it isn't always bad to take material in front of your king even if it opens lines for enemy rooks] 22.Ng3! objectively incorrect [22.Kh1 dxc3 23.b5 cxb5 24.axb5 Qb6] 22...Bxg3+? The worst inaccuracy yet by either side. As in the previous game, I have an unhealthy habit of seeking resolution even if it is to my disadvantage. This is definitely the key theme I have taken away from these two rapid games against Humphrey. This is essentially the losing move, as it leads to some clarity and resolution where white is better and black has insufficient compensation; I white needed to avoid resolution unless it is beneficial. [22...Qc4! this appears to be the only move.. Fritz says black is objectively better here, (–0.95) 23.Nxd4 Qxc3 24.Nde2 Qb3 25.Kh3 Qxa4] 23.fxg3 Qc4 At last I make the right move, but the position is now bad for black. 24.Qf4+ Ka8 [f1 24...Ne5 25.cxd4 Qxb3 26.dxe5 fxe5 27.Qxe5+ Ka8 28.b5 needless to say, black is dead lost] 25.Nxd4 it is obvious that black no longer has compensation for his sacrifice. It seems obvious to me now that the uncertainty and 'muddiness' of a position must be kept by the the side who has sacrificed material, and that resolution should only EVER be made is there is a certain advantage, or a certain drawn position, otherwise it is essential from a practical point of view to retain the complexity. 25...Qxc3 26.Qe3 Qxe3 27.Rxe3 Ne5 28.Kh3 1-0
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