2023.02 2023.02 Downloads 2023.02.04 2023.02.06 2023.02.23 2023.02.28 [Site "The Proving Ground"] [Date "2023.02.28"] [Round "4"] [White "Frank, Cole"] [Black "Alford, Joseph"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C78"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2023.02.28"] [SourceDate "2023.02.28"] {Note that I am now playing at TPB on Tuesdays again. Changing to Wednesdays did not result in more games.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. O-O d6 7. c3 O-O 8. h3 h6 9. Re1 Re8 10. Nbd2 b5 {Fritz now shows Black with a slight advantage.} 11. Bc2 d5 12. Nf1 dxe4 13. dxe4 Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bb7 {Fritz now shifts a very small advantage to White. Be6 was better.} 15. Ng3 Rad8 16. Rxd8 Nxd8 17. Bd2 Bd6 18. Re1 Ne6 19. Nf5 Nc5 20. Ng3 Ne6 21. Nh4 Nf4 {Returning to Nc5 is probably best, though Fritz claims equality here.} 22. Nhf5 N6h5 {But letting White trade knight for bishop is not good. Fritz wants the bishop on either c5 or f8} 23. Nxd6 cxd6 24. Nf5 Re6 {Very bad because of Bb3. I had visions of the rook joining the knights in their attack.} 25. Bxf4 Nxf4 26. Rd1 g6 {d5 meets Bb3. g6 hopes to distract the knight for a few moves giving time to protect the d-pawn.} 27. Nxd6 Bc6 28. Bb3 Re7 29. f3 Ne6 30. Bd5 Nd8 31. Nxf7 Bxd5 {Rf7 still favors White} 32. Nxd8 Bxa2 33. Nc6 Re6 34. Nb4 Bb3 35. Rd8+ Kf7 36. Ra8 Rd6 37. Ra7+ Ke6 38. Rxa6 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. [Event "Casual Classical game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/EPqfKt8u"] [Date "2023.02.23"] [Round "4"] [White "bitterroot88"] [Black "JosephOAlford"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B50"] [WhiteElo "1731"] [BlackElo "1890"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/bitterroot88"] [PlyCount "110"] [EventDate "2023.02.23"] [TimeControl "2400+1"] 1. b3 c5 2. e4 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bb2 Nf6 5. d3 {Fritz prefers Nc3 when White can still play d4 later.} g6 6. Nbd2 Bg7 7. Nc4 {Be2 and 0-0 here and later. White will now fall behind in development.} b5 8. Ne3 O-O 9. c3 Bb7 10. d4 {Do not open the center while your king is still in the center. Again, Be2 and 0-0} cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nxe4 12. Nxb5 Qa5 13. Qc2 Ne5 14. f3 Qb6 15. Nd4 Nc5 16. Nc4 {It looks like White will finally get developed, but now Black’s pawns chase the White pieces out of the center.} Nxc4 17. Bxc4 d5 18. Be2 e5 19. Nb5 a6 20. Na3 Rac8 21. O-O-O e4 22. Kb1 exf3 23. Bxf3 Ne4 24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Rhe1 f5 {White is looking much better. Now he re-deploys his poorly-placed knight. Black’s passed pawn is a problem.} 26. Nc4 Qf6 27. Nd6 Rc7 {Fritz shows this as equal or slightly favoring White. I am happy with my passed supported pawn.} 28. Nc4 {Trade knight for bishop} Rfc8 29. Rd6 Qe7 {Threatening RxN} 30. Red1 e3 31. Qe2 f4 32. Ka1 Re8 33. Re1 Qe4 34. Rdd1 {After the game, I suggested g3, but Black should still win after f3} (34. g3) 34... Qxg2 35. Qd3 Qe4 36. Qe2 Rce7 37. Nd6 {Has Black blundered?} f3 38. Nxe4 fxe2 39. Nf6+ Bxf6 40. Rxe2 Bf3 41. Rde1 Bxe2 42. Rxe2 Rd8 43. Kb1 Rd1+ 44. Kc2 Rf1 45. Kd3 Rf2 46. Ba3 Rxe2 47. Kxe2 Re6 48. c4 Bg5 49. b4 Rf6 50. Bb2 Rf2+ 51. Ke1 Rxb2 52. c5 Bh4+ 53. Kd1 e2+ 54. Kc1 Bf6 55. c6 e1=Q# 0-1 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. [Site "Barnes & Noble"] [Date "2023.02.06"] [Round "1"] [White "Newman, Steve"] [Black "Alford, Joseph"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A10"] [Annotator ",JosephOAlford"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2023.02.06"] [SourceDate "2023.02.06"] 1. c4 d5 {Intending to meet cd with Nf6} 2. e3 g6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bd3 Bg7 5. Ne2 O-O 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qe1 {Preventing Nb4, but the move is passive. a3 is better. Fritz likes cd and let Black prove he has a center.} e5 8. f3 {Losing at least a pawn. Fritz likes c5} exd4 {dc is much simpler. Fritz prefers ed} 9. Na3 { This is actually 2nd choice for Fritz which prefers ed.} dxc4 10. Bxc4 dxe3 11. Rb1 {On Be3 Black gets strong pressure on the e-file with both rook and queen.} Ne5 12. Nf4 {Losing a piece. Fritz says Be3 is relatively best.} Nxc4 13. Nxc4 Qd4 14. Nxe3 Qxf4 15. Ng4 Qf5 16. Bh6 Nxg4 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. fxg4 Qc5+ 19. Kh1 Bxg4 20. Rc1 Qd4 21. Rc2 Rae8 22. Qc1 c6 23. b3 Bf5 24. Rd2 Qe3 25. Qb2+ Qe5 26. Qc1 Re7 27. Rdf2 Rfe8 28. Rxf5 gxf5 29. Qg5+ Kh8 30. h4 Rg8 31. Qh5 Qg3 32. Rg1 Re4 33. Qxf5 Rxh4+ 34. Qh3 Rxh3+ 35. gxh3 Qxh3# 0-1 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization. [Event "The Proving Ground"] [Site "The Proving Ground"] [Date "2023.02.04"] [Round "1"] [White "Alford, Joseph"] [Black "Newman, Steven"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2023.02.04"] [SourceDate "2023.02.04"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nc6 {Black sacrifices a pawn for rapid development. This move has been featured on the internet several times recently. I don’t care for it. d6; Nf3 Ne4 is better.} 4. Nxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Be3 {Fritz says Be2 with quick 0-0 or c3 to defend the center.} Bxe3 7. fxe3 Ng4 8. Qf3 O-O 9. h3 Ne5 10. Qg3 Qd6 11. Kd1 {Black threatened Nd3+ sacrificing the knight to win White’s queen or Qb4+ and Qb2} Be6 12. Nd2 Rad8 {Well, he got his development, but White still has his pawn.} 13. d4 Ng6 {After the queen trade White is simply a pawn ahead. Fritz likes f6 since the d-pawn is pinned.} 14. Qxd6 cxd6 15. Bd3 Ne7 16. Rf1 f5 17. Ke2 d5 18. e5 Ng6 19. Rf2 c5 20. c3 Rf7 21. Raf1 c4 22. Bxf5 Bxf5 23. Rxf5 Re7 24. e4 b5 25. exd5 Rxd5 26. Ne4 Rdd7 27. Nc5 Rd8 28. e6 Rf8 29. Rxf8+ Nxf8 30. d5 a5 31. d6 Ra7 32. e7 Ra8 33. d7 Nxd7 34. Nxd7 Re8 35. Rf8+ Rxf8 36. exf8=Q# 1-0 You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.