[Event “World Open U 1800”]
[Date “2019.07.07”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Andrew Zhang”]
[Black “Mike Callaham”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “B07”]
[WhiteElo “1820”]
[BlackElo “1741”]
[Annotator “Scholarship,Chess”]
Game 8. It only took a few moves to realize that I was getting tired. I hadn’t played in 10 months! 1 loss out of 7 games still had me feeling good though. I also knew that I was working with part 4 of the rule. I decided to just draw on much discipline as I could, and hoped that would have to carry me through. I knew I had probably fallen out of any serious chance at 1st place, but that wasn’t why I was there. I wanted Scholarship Chess Business Center methods to carry me as far as my energy would allow. I’d never played 9 rounds straight before! As you will see, energy and discipline are heavily intertwined. I lasted 7.5 rounds! 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5?!
This system has nuisance value but is considered by all of theory to be one of the weakest answers to the Philidor!} c6 6. Qd2 Qc7 7. O-O-O Be7 8. h4 b5 9. Bd3 a5
It’s amazing to me how these young players find such good moves at times. Black has equalized and is slowly creeping up on the initiative. White’s next move is the computer’s top choice. That for me is very instructive!} 10. Ne2! h6 11. dxe5? I know that calculating ed and de every turn is annoying! It’s one of the features I like about this opening. According to Kosten and the article I published in 2010, black has the better center because he has pawn control of d5 while white does not have control of d4. There are other benefits but hey, I’m not going to tell you everything and leave myself nothing to play?! LOL (11. Be3 Ng4 Black has a small advantage here. White had to play Ng3, Kb1, h5, Kb1, Nh2, or c3. de was 11th on the list. 12. Ng3 Ndf6 13. Qe2 a4 14. a3 Bd7 15. Rhe1 O-O Black is definitely in the drivers seat.) 11… dxe5 12. Bxf6 {Just retreat the thing for crying out loud. This is where studying would have paid off. This move aids my development and gives me the bishop pair! Nxf6 13. Qc3 Bd6
14. Ng3 O-O 15. Qd2
It appears that the pressure on f2 can begin now! That means no forward movement for either knight. That’s so cool!} Bg4? (15… Bc5! 16. Nf1 Rd8 17. Qe2 a4 18. Ne3 a3 19. b3 Ng4 20. c3 Qa7 21. Rhe1 Be6 22. Kb1 Rab8 Putting the squeeze is better than what I played. I wanted to pin the knight down and maybe play rad8 but, that strategy is for when they are on the kingside!) 16. Kb1 Rfd8 17. Qe3 Be6 18. h5 {?!} Ng4 19. Qe2 
Qb6?! According to the computer 19 …Bc5 is stronger and it’s also begging for a5-a4. I’m exhausted and I’m just relying on our methods and procedures to get me through the game!} (19… Bc5 20. Rdf1 a4 21. Nf5 a3 22. b3 Qa5 23. Qd2 Qa7 24. Qc3 b4 25. Qe1 Nxf2 26. Rh4 Rd7 27. Nxe5 Bxf5 28. exf5 Re8 29. f6 gxf6 30. Qd2 Rxe5 31. Qxh6 Rxd3 Wins the game!!) 20. Rhf1 Bc5 21. Rd2 a4 22. Nf5
Nxf2?? It was here that I got scared. I realized I was going blind. That’s when you start having hind sight instead of foresight! LOL The smoke and mirrors of chess exhaustion had began to show it’s ugly and repugnant head!!} (22… a3! 23. b3 Qa5 24. c3 Qxc3 25. Rc2 Qb4 26. Qd2 Bxf5 27. exf5 Qxd2 28. Rxd2 Bxf2 29. Be4 Rxd2 30. Nxd2 Rd8 31. Nf3 c5 32. Bc6 c4 33. Rc1 cxb3 34. axb3 Black is winning hard!) 23. Rxf2?? Mistakes come in pairs!! (23. N3h4 Qa5 24. a3 Nxd3 25. Rxd3 Bf8 26. Rg3 Kh8 27. Qf3 Qd2 28. Ne3 Rd7 29. Qd1 Qa5 30. Qe1 b4 31. Ka1 Rb7 32. Rgf3 bxa3 33. Qxa5 axb2+ 34. Kb1 Rxa5 Enough said) 23… Bxf5! Smoke and mirrors!! I actually thought that taking the rook was a better move. I expected this combination… (23… Bxf2 24. Qxf2 Qxf2 25. Rxf2 (25. Ne7!?+ Forgetting about this until I had looked at it again for a long time. Kf8 26. Ng6+ fxg6 27. Rxf2 Kg8) 25… Bxf5 26. exf5 e4 27. Be2 exf3 28. Bxf3 Rd6) 24. Rf1 Bg4 25. Qe1 a3 26. b3
Be3? What am I doing?? (26… Bb4 27. Qf2 Qa5 28. Rdd1 Bxh5 29. Qh4 Bd2 30. c3 Qxc3 31. Rxd2 Bxf3 32. Rc2 Qxd3 33. Rxf3 Qd1+ 34. Rc1 Qd4) 27. Re2 Bxf3 28. Rxe3 Bxh5 29. c4 bxc4 30. Bxc4 Rd1+ 31. Qxd1 Bxd1 32. Rxf7
I sat there for 20 minutes trying to figure out Q takes at e3 and thought I couldn’t move the g pawn. I don’t need to move the g pawn with mate threats. lol I was obviously confused so what did my opponent do? what every smart one should, offer a draw. I broke that rule too. Whenever a kid offers you a draw it’s because they are losing. double check very closely. I was getting to tired and lost confidence and accepted the draw. to be honest, if I hadn’t, I’d have probably taken the rook. That’s winning too. Until we got to the analysis board I didn’t know it was a win!} Kh8 33. Rg3 Qd4 34. Kc1 Bh5 Threatening mate!
My last round won’t make it to the analysis. I could have simply withdrawn. I was absolutely useless. You could have set up 50 winning positions and if they were beyond a wbwbw//bwbwb I would have blown them all. My 1st World Open was a smashing success for me and the principle I teach. I’m very happy. 1/2-1/2
Diagram # Everyone knows the Philidor up to this point. Now they have all the other openings going through their heads. They can play Qe2, Qd3, Re1, a3, a4, Bb3, Be2, Be3, Bg5, h3, de, b3, b4, and Nh4. The more common of those choices appear in other openings. While there are several books on the Philidor, none of them really explain where the white pieces are supposed to be placed and where the black pieces should not be allowed to get to. If you want to read my article on the Philidor, go to 
Every double fianchetto player will tell you, this set up is wrong. You shouldn’t double fianchetto and have the knights on f3 and c3 or the knights on f6 and c6. In a double fianchetto, one of the wing pawns must stay mobile to attack the center and force the center pawns to move or exchange to open lines for the bishops!? Here, the center pawns are no match for black and he can choose to fight on either wing because his pawn structure is fluid and the opponent’s pawn structures are identical and static.} a5 14.
The 1st real mistake. White can’t exchange on e5 because black controls d5 but white
Ba3=, Rb1=, Ree1=, Rdd2=, Red2=, Qe3=, Qd2=, Qc4=, Ra1=, Rf1=, Rde1=, Kh1=. when I say equal, I mean equal. lol ) 16… bxc6 Black now has the initiative! 17. Rd2 Be6?! Wrong way?! Should have put it on c8 like I originally planned. 18. Qe2 Bg4 (18… d5 seemed rushed to me, and after 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Re1 Bf8 21. Nxd5 cxd5 22. Rc1 Bc5 or (22… Ne4 23. Rdd1 Bc5 24. Rf1 isn’t really accomplishing anything.) 23. Rdd1 Qb6 24. Bh3 Re7 25. Bf5 e4 26. Nd4 Ne5 27. Bc3 Under analysis, this does show how the bishops can play out of the holes!) 19. h3 Bc8 20. Rad1 Rd7 21. Nh2 Qb6 22. Nf1 Ba6 23. Qe3 Qb8
The last 5 moves have been like watching 2 computers play. lol it’s stil =,=,= and more equal!! 24. Kh2 Bd8 25. Ba3 {?!} Bb6 26. Qf3? Mistakes come in what? Pairs!?} (26. Qe1 Qa7 27. Ne3 Bc5 or (27… Bd4 28. Na2 Qb6 29. Nf5 d5 30. Nxd4 exd4 31. Rxd4 c5 32. R4d2 Nxe4 or (32… d4 33. Nc1 (33. f4 h5 34. f5 Ne5 35. Nc1 Rde7 36. c3 Nxe4 37. cxd4 Nxd2 38. Qxd2 Rd7 39. Bxc5 Qc7 40. Qg5 h4 41. Rg1=) 33. Rxd5 Rxd5 34. Rxd5 Nf6 35. Bxc5 Qc7 36. Bd6 Rxe1 37. Bxc7 Nxd5 38. Bxd5 Re2 39. Bxa5 Rxf2+ 40. Kg1 Rxc2 41. Nb4 Rc1+ 42. Kf2 Rf1+ 43. Kg2 Rf5 44. Nxa6 Rxd5 45. b4 Black has a slight edge, but everybody better get over there!) 28. Bxc5 Qxc5 29. Nc4 Bxc4 30. bxc4 Qxc4 31. Rxd6 Rxd6 32. Rxd6 Nf8 33. Bf1 Qc5 34. Rd1 Rb8 35. Kg2 Ne6 {Black has the edge but it’s all still real tough to quantify!)
This sets an obvious trap! The queen has one escape square, so taking on d5 really isn’t an option! On the other hand I could have tried the straight forward Bd4, but I knew he was going to chop it just to relieve the pressure! The other factor plays out in analysis that sooner or later I have to give back a piece for some pawns. So it would just be equal anyway and I couldn’t see any advantage in that. The piece is active and I want to keep it for a while. (26… Bd4 27. Rxd4 exd4 28. Rxd4 c5 29. Rd1 Ne5 30. Qf5 c4 31. Nd2 or (31. f4? This traps the queen! Nfg4+ 32. hxg4 g6 33. Qxd7 Nxd7 34. bxc4 ) 31… cxb3 32. Nxb3 Qc7 33. Bb2 Bc4 34. Nd4 Qb6 35. Ndb5 Be6 36. Qf4 Rc8 holding on to a nagging advantage!) 27. Bh1?? This is not good better would have been (27. Ne3 d4 28. Nf5 Kh7 29. Ne2 Nf8 30. Bxf8 Rxf8 Finally compelling him to part with a bishop would have been good for now!) ( 27. exd5 {?? The trap} e4 28. Qf5 Re5 29. Qxd7 Nxd7 30. dxc6 Nf6 31. Bd6 Qe8
This gives back a lot, but I just liked everyone where they were. The trap is gone and now ed is the best move. That’s funny. lol 30. Qg2?? (30. exd5 cxd5 31. Nb5 I’d always considered he’d take the Bishop too. (31. Rxd4 exd4 32. Nb5 Bxb5 33. axb5 This is a must move in both lines. The knight going back to d4 is definitely a better blockader than the Bishop! Qxc2 34. Bxd4 Ne4 35. Bg2 Ng5 36. Qd3 Qxd3 37. Rxd3 Ne6) 31… Bxb5 32. axb5 Bxa1 33. Rxa1 Ne4 34. Qd3 Nxd2 35. Qxd2 Another static exchange!) 30… Bxc3 31. Bxc3 Nxe4 32. f3?? or (32. Qf3 f5 (32… Nxd2 33. Bxd2 c5 34. Qc3 Bxf1 35. Rxf1 Ra8 36. Qd3 e4 37. Qe2 Ne5 38. f3 exf3 39. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 40. Rxf3 is winning.) 33. Re1 Rd6 34. Rdd1 f4 35. Nd2 Qb6 36. gxf4 Nxc3 37. Qxc3 Qxf2+ 38. Bg2 Nxf4 39. Qf3 Qh4 40. Qg4 Qf6 works for me too!) 32… Nxc3 33. Re1 e4 34. Rf2 Nh4
A move from the Philidor campaign as late as move 34!! At this point, it’s time to take as much material as I can and then exchange down to a won ending.} 35. Qg1 exf3 36. Bxf3 Ne4 37. Bxe4 dxe4 38. Re3 Nf3+ 39. Rexf3 exf3 40. Rxf3 Bxf1 41. Rxf1 Rd2+ 42. Kh1 Qd6 43. Qa7 Qd5+ 44. Kg1 Qg2# It was a game right out of the Philidor campaign. This brought me to 5.5 out of 6! Still got 3 games left. Time for my CBD and a nap to get ready for round 7.
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