1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Na3 g6 6.Bc4 Nb6 7.O-O Nxc4 8.Nxc4 d5 9.exd6 b5 10.dxe7 Bxe7 11.Nce5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 O-O 13.Re1 Bb7 14.Qe2 Qd5 15.Nf3 Bd6 16.Qxb5 Bc6 17.Qa6 c4 18.b3 Bb7 19.Qxc4 Qh5 20.Nh4 Rac8 21.Qd4 Rfd8 22.Kf1 Bxh2 23.Qf6 Rd6 24.Qe7 Ba6+ 25.c4 Rxc4 26.bxc4 Bxc4+ 27.Re2

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Re6 (<A blunder, missing a simple combination, correct was 27...Be5>) 28.Qd8+ Kg7 29.Qd4+ 1-0

6) I was White, same opponent as above:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 8.Re1+ Be6 9.Ng5 Qd5 10.Nc3 Qf5 11.g4 Qg6 (<I think this is correct, I've encountered 11...Qxf6 once and won: 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Rxe6+ fxe6 14.Nxe6 Qd7 15.Ndxc7+ Ke7 16.Bg5+ Kd6 17.Qf3 Ne5?? 18.Qd5#>) 12.Nce4 Bb6 13.f4

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(<Following Blackburne vs Teichmann, 1896 >)

O-O-O 14.f5 Bxf5 15.gxf5 Qxf5 16.Rf1 (<Variating from the game mentioned above>) Qg6 17.fxg7 Rhg8 18.Kh1 f5 19.Ng3 c3 20.bxc3 dxc3 21.Qf3 h6 22.Qxf5+ Qxf5 23.Nxf5 hxg5 24.Bxg5 Rde8 25.Bf6 Be3 26.Bxc3 Bg5 27.h4 Be7 28.Nh6 Rxg7 29.Bxg7 Bxh4 30.Rf8 Rxf8 31.Bxf8 a5 32.Nf5 Bf6 33.Rd1 b5 34.Kg2 Kb7 35.Kf3 Ne5+ 36.Ke4 b4 37.Be7 Bxe7 38.Nxe7 Ng4 39.Rf1 Nh6 40.Rf4 1-0

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd2 Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.e5 dxe5 11.fxe5 Nfd7 12.Be2

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(<Following G Mahia vs Quinteros, 1980, my favorite setup against the Poisoned Pawn Variation>)

Qa5 (<A new move (12...Nxe5 13.Nxe6!) 12...Bb4 was played in the game mentioned above, a move I've analyzed a lot some time ago that leads to some spectacular lines if Black isn't careful, an example would be: 13.Rb3 Qa5 (both forced) 14.O-O Nc6 15.Ne4!? Bxd2?? 16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.Rxf7+ Kg8 18.Rxg7+ Kxg7 19.Bh6+!, or 15...Bc5 16.Qxa5 Bxd4?? 17.Kh1 Nxa5 18.Nd6+ Kf8 19.Rxf7+ Kg8 20.Bh6!>)

13.O-O Bc5 14.Kh1 Bxd4 15.Qxd4 Nc6 16.Qf2 O-O 17.Rb3 f6

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18.exf6 (<A speculative sacrifice, which Black refuted with a superb defence>) Qxg5 19.Ne4 Qg6 20.Rg3 Qh6 21.Rh3 Rxf6 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.Rf3 Qd8 24.Bd3 Nce5 25.Re3 b5 26.Qf4 Bb7 27.Rxe5 Nxe5 28.Qxe5 Qd5 29.Qxd5 Bxd5 30.a3 Rc8 0-1

May You have a good time,

Complete Your exams in no time,

And obtain the Master's title at the same time :-)

Happy Birthday Uros!

1.e4 e6 (<I have almost never played the French myself, though I've had very good results with it, but two of my friends did, and we had numerous battles with me playing against it, often coming up short. In one of those games, the exchange sacrifice I'll play in this game came about.>) 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 O-O 8.Bd3 f5 9.exf6 Rxf6 10.Bg5 Nd7

(<A move that a friend and me "discovered" a long time ago, of course I now realize that it's nothing original, though there are only 4 games in the Opening Explorer >)

11.Bxf6 (<11.Qh4 had also been tried in the database>) Nxf6 12.Qd1 Qa5 (<The idea behind the sacrifice>) 13.Nf3 Qxc3+ 14.Nd2 (<Maybe 14.Kf1!? would have been a viable alternative, with something like 14...c4 15.Be2 Ne4 16.g3 and Kg2.>) c4 15.Bxh7+

(<? This is a big mistake, after 15.Be2 Ne4 16.Rb1 (16.Rc1) Nc6 17.Bf3 Nf6

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Black would have very good compensation, but white can still fight, I don't think it's anything remotely decisive. Rybka likes black's position very much, though, after 17...Nf6 it gives a 0.92 advantage for black at 19 ply.>)

Kxh7 16.O-O Qxd4 17.h3 e5 18.Qe2 e4 19.Rad1 Qe5 20.Nf3 Qh5

(<

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Here, 31.Rxd5 might have been a possibility, it goes into a position with a piece down, but liquidates some of the central pawns. After 31...Bxd5 32.Rxd5 a6 33.Ke3 black is momentarily tied up, it could continue with 33...Kg8 34.Rd6 a5 35.c3 (preventing b4) Kf7 36.Rd5 and Rxb5.

There are also other possibilities, for example 31.Ke3 Nc5 32.Rf1 with the idea of Rf4 and Rh4. The move played, 31.Kg3 is probably not best, the king should stay in the centre in my opinion.>)

31.Kg3 Nc5 32.h4 g6 33.f6 Bf7 34.Kg4 a5 35.h5 gxh5+ 36.Kf5 Be6+ 37.Ke5 Kg6 38.Kf4 Bf7 (<38...Bg4 was better, though it doesn't matter>) 39.Rg1 Ne6+ 40.Ke5 Nxd4 41.Kxd4 b4

(<The final position:

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Pity white made that mistake at move 15, the game could have developed into a good fight, with both sides having chances. Still, I think white played very resourcefully in a worse position, making me having to be careful until the very end.>

0-1

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d5 (<The Marshall Gambit is one of my favorite weapons.>) 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 Qh4 14.g3 Qh3 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Qd3 Rae8 17.Nd2 Re6 18.a4 f5 (<So far, all pretty standard moves: Opening Explorer .>) 19.axb5 (<19.Qf1 is more usual here (20 games in the database), though the move played is just as fine.>)

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f4 (<Probably a dubious idea. I considered 19...axb5 at first, but I decided to gamble instead. I have once already played a winning f5-f4 break in a similar position, but what I didn't remember was exactly that, it was similar, but not the same! Here it is:

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19...f4 20.axb5 fxg3! 21.fxg3 Bxg3 22.hxg3 Qxg3+ 23.Kh1 Rf5 24.Qxf5 Bxf5 25.bxa6 Re4 0-1

(<And here I found myself at a crossroads. I have three possible recaptures, I chose 20...Nxf4, so we'll have to examine the other two possibilities a bit closer. In the only game in the database, 20...Bxf4 was played and black managed to draw: M Schulze vs A Sirota, 2002

20...Bxf4 21.Rxe6 Bxe6 22.bxa6 Bxd2 23.bxa6 leads to an ending I saw and didn't like. For example, 23...Ra8 24.a7 Bf7 (24...Kf8 25.Qf4 is probably worse for black) 25.Qe2 Qc8 26.Qa6 Qxa6 27.Rxa6 Kf8 28.Ba4 Ne7 and black holds everything together for the moment, but white can slowly build up and try to increase his advantage without any fear, while any slip by black is deadly. Still, it was most likely black's best possibility.

20...Rxf4 21.Qf1! Rxe1 22.Rxe1 Rf5 (22...Rf8? 23.Qxh3 Bxh3 24.bxc6) 23.bxa6 and white is winning.

All this and the next moves in the game show, that 19...f4 was premature and thus incorrect.>)

21.Qf1 Qh6 (<Again, there was a choice between 21...Qxf1, which is also losing (22.Kxf1! Nd5 23.bxc6 and white is winning) and the move I played, giving at least some practical chances, in my opinion (that is, if white goes wrong), I'll show some possibilities later.>) 22.gxf4 Bxf4 23.Qg2 Kh8 24.Bxe6 Bxe6 25.Nf1 (<There was a possibility white could go wrong: 25.Ne4 Bh3 26.Q(other than h1) Bxh2.>) Bd5 26.Qg4 axb5 27.Ng3 Bd6 (<Maybe 27...Bb8 would have been slightly better, preventing the next move.>) 28.Ra7 Qf6 29.Nf5 (<If this move weren't possible, black would still have some chances: 29.Rf1? Bf3 30.Qh3 (30.Qd7 h5!).>) g6 30.Qh4 Qxh4 31.Nxh4 Kg8 32.Ng2 (<The final position:

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I could have resigned a little earlier, but sometimes it's a hard thing to do. I wish I could say white beat me with great, flashy moves, but he really didn't, he played simple, solid and logical moves and rightly punished my incorrect play. I guess that's even more of a compliment :-). Also, this might be my first loss with the Marshall (though I haven't played that many games with it, maybe 20 or so). Congratulations to Where is my mind (I think I should be asking myself that :-)).>)