Wild Tactics in the Bogo-Indian

 

It has been a while since I posted on Pawn’s Progress. I had quite some issues with recovering from torn tendons (see previous post) and then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which affected my mental health (we were in lockdown on and off, for about 9 months in Victoria, Australia; the longest in the world). Happily I managed to do some useful things and even managed some games on chess.com, LSS and ICCF servers.

I hope to be a more frequent poster from now on.

I offer for your enjoyment, a game featuring an important variation in the Bogo-Indian. It was played on chess.com and no engines were used by either player during the game. Below you will find it in pgn format followed by an analysis with the help of an engine.

[Date "2020.08.28"] 

[White "cabloo"]

[Black "Georgee53"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteElo "1966"]

[BlackElo "2013"]

[TimeControl "7 days per move"]

[EndDate "2021.01.22"]

[Termination "Georgee53 won by resignation"]

 Bogo-Indian Defence

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 d5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. h4 g6 10. h5 cxd4 11. hxg6 fxg6 12. Qc2 Qe8 13. O-O Nc6 14. Re1 a5 15.cxd5 exd5 16. Qb3 Nc5 17. Qc2 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Bf5 19. Qb3 Qd7 20. Nf1 a4 21. Qd1 Bg4 22. N1h2 Bxf3 23. Nxf3 Qg4 24. Bh6 Rf5 25. Qd3 Rh5 26. Bd2 Rf8 27. Rac1 Rh3 28. Kf1 Rhxf3 29. gxf3 Rxf3 30. Qb5 Rxf2+ 0-1

I am very proud of this game because while we both made mistakes (no engines allowed) I was able to find good, aggressive moves and found a brilliant checkmate at the end with Queen and Bishop. I particularly liked 27...Rh3 and of course 30...Rxf2+. One of my most brilliant (rare) wins at this time-control.

My rating went up to 2013 after this win. I am certainly no 2000+ player even in long time controls or correspondence chess rules but it is pleasing to get over that barrier and into candidate master territory even if only ephemerally.

 Below is an analysis after the game was completed, with the help of Stockfish from chess.com. 

[Date "2020.08.28"]

[White Cabloo rating1891 at start of game]

[Black Georgee53 rating 1966 at start of game]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteElo 1966 after end of game]

[BlackElo 2013 after end of game]

[TimeControl "7 days per move"]

[EndDate "2021.01.22"] ["Georgee53 won by resignation"]

 Bogo-Indian Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 O-O 5.a3 Be7!? (5...Bxd2+ 6.Bxd2 b6 is considered better) 6.e4 d5 7.e5 Nfd7 8.Bd3 (Also good was 8.b4) 8...c5 9.h4 (Heading into the ‘wilds’; sound and conservative was 9.O-O) 9...g6 (Correct; if 9...h6 10.Bb1 cxd4 11.Qc2 f5 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Nxd4 with the better game) 10.h5!? (Consistent, but sound was 10.cxd5) 10...cxd4 11.hxg6 (Good was 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nb3 Nc6 13.Qe2 Qc7 14.Bf4 but White thinks he is opening up Black to a winning assault) 11...fxg6 (The only sound reply; if 11...hxg6 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.Qd2 Nxe5 14.Qh6 Nxf3+ 15.gxf3 Qe5+ 16.Be4 Qg7 17.Qxg7+ Kxg7 18.Bh6+ Kg8 19.Bxf8 Bxf8 20.cxd5 is a plus for White) 12.Qc2 Qe8 13.O-O (Also reasonable was 13.Rh6) 13...Nc6 14.Re1 a5 15.cxd5 exd5 (Up to here I was following Kozul V Arsovic, Sarajevo 2012, as given in my copy of ‘Opening Repertoire: Nimzo and Bogo-Indian’ by Christof Sielecki, Everyman 2015, where Kozul played 16.Bb5 and after 16...Nc5 we have ‘an interesting position’ according to Sielecki. However, Cabloo now varied and we were then on our own with a still ‘interesting position’) 16.Qb3!? (All I had was 16.Bb5 Nc5 and unclear but interesting) 16...Nc5 (Black must play actively or he will be overrun eventually) 17.Qc2 Nxd3 18.Qxd3 Bf5 19.Qb3 (Better was 19.Qb5) 19...Qd7 (Also reasonable was 18...Qf7; I did not like having to make defensive moves with my Queen, so I kept looking around for ways to play actively or what Purdy used to call ‘play moves that smite’) 20.Nf (Also possible but perhaps not as good was 20.Ne4 a4 21.Qa2 Bg4 22.Neg5 Bxg5 23.Nxg5 Rae8) 20...a4 (To hinder any Queen-side expansion by White) 21.Qd1!? (Not the best but if 21.Qa2 Bg4 22.N3h2 Be6 is reasonable for Black) 21...Bg4!? (Intuitively I liked the pin but Stockfish tells me that 21...Be4 22.e6 Qxe6 23.Bh6 Rf7 24.Ng3 Bxf3 25.Rxe6 Bxd1 26.Rxd1 Bh4 or 26...Rf6 are better; I could already see an attack on f3 coming at some stage if White was careless) 22.N1h2 Bxf3!? (Again Stockfish recommends 22...h5 23.Nxg4 Qxg4 24.Qd3 h4 25.Nh2 Qf5 26.Qxf5 Rxf5) 23.Nxf3 Qg4 24.Bh6 (Or 24.b4 Rf5 ) 24...Rf5! (I really liked this idea of getting the Rook into a threatening position with tempo) 25.Qd3 (Possible and Stockfish suggests better was 25.b4 Rh5 26.Bd2 Rf8 27.Rc1 Rh3 28.Ng5 Qxd1 29.Rcxd1 Rxa3) 25...Rh5! (A smite!) 26.Bd2 Rf8 27.Rac1!? (Better was 27.Rad1 Nxe5 28.Rxe5 Rxe5 29.Bh6 Rxf3 30.Qxf3 Qxf3 31.gxf3) 27...Rh3! (My favourite move of the game) 28.Kf1 Rhxf3! 29.gxf3 Rxf3! 30.Qb5?? (If 30.Qe2 Bh4! Stockfish gives 30.Re3 dxe3 with a bit of play for White but Black will win anyway) 30...Rxf2+ 0-1

 Black has a forced mate after 31. Kxf2 Bh4+ 32.Kf1 Qf3+ 33.Kg1 Bf2+ 35.Kh2 (5.Kf1 Be3++) 35...Qg3+ 36.Kh1 Qh3++

Thank goodness for the long time control (we had 7 days a move each). I was able to see all this in my own home analysis after 25...Rh5! but I did not dare hope that Cabloo would make the necessary error of 30.Qb5? or 30.Qc2/b1? but he did. In hindsight I suppose Qb5 had a compelling logic because of the check after Qxd5+ but it was wrong. One of my best games played in this way on the server of chess.com and especially because we did not use engines (forbidden by chess.com).

 I wish Cabloo the best of luck in future games. He played well and with a fine sporting character.