St. Agnes School Chess Club
Chess Games
Annotations by Thomas Katsampes

Fischer, J - Patrick 9/24/2015
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.d3 (too timid. Play 3.d4) d5 3.b3 dxc4 4.bxc4 Na6 (Knights should be developed towards the center, ...Nc6) 5.Nd2 (Nc3 is better) Be6 (...Bd7 so as not to block the KP. Or you can play ...b6 and ...Bb7) 6.Qa4+ Bd7 7.Qd1 (So what was the point of 6. Qa4+?) c5 8.Ngf3 Qa5 9.e4 Ng4 10.h3 Ne5? 11.Nxe5 Nb4 12.h4 (doesn't do anything. Try Nxd7, or Be2 followed by O-O, etc.) Be6 13.Nb3 (the double checks with Nxd3 or Nxc2 don't do much since Black's Queen is en prise) Qa6 (...Qc7 to protect the QBP) 14.Nxc5 Qd6 15.d4? (White should have tried Qa4+) b6 16.Bd2 (Qa4+) Qxd4 17.Qa4+ Kd8 18.Nb7+ (Rd1 and Black can't take either Knight as he loses the Queen to a discovered check...work it out. Another idea is Bxb4 Qxe5 (if ...bxc5 Nc6+) Rd1+ Kc8 Qe8+ etc.) Kc7 19.Na5? bxa5 (Black can play...Qxa1+) 20.Qxa5+ Kd6? 21.Bxb4+. The scoresheet erroneously said this was mate but Black can play ...Qxc5 after which QxQ is mate.

Maloney - Rasmussen 9/24/2015
Sicilian Defense, Rossolimo Variation
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4? (losing piece after 4...b5 5. Bb3 c4) Nf6 5. Nc3? (again overlooking the "Noah's Ark" trap.) e6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b5 11. Bb3 Bb7 12. Rfd1 d5? (losing a Pawn) 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 Bxd5 16. Qxd5 Qxd5 (...Qc7 as you don't want to trade queens when down in material.) 17. Rxd5 Rac8 18. Rd7 Bf6 19. c3 Rfe8 20. Ra7 b4 21. Bd4 Re4 (to be considered is ...BxB followed by ...Rc2 and doubling on the seventh) 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. f3 (Kf1 or cxb4 should be considered) Re2 24. cxb4 Rxb2 (...Rcc2, doubling on the seventh and practically forcing a draw.) 25. Rxa6 Rxb4 26. Rxf6 Kg7 27. Rd6 Rc2 28. a4 Rbb2 29. g4 Rg2+ 30. Kf1 Rbe2 31. a5 Rgf2+ (Black can now force a draw by repeatedly checking with this Rook.) 32. Kg1 Rg2+ 33. Kh1 Rxh2+ 34. Kg1 Rhg2+ 35. Kh1 Rh2+ 36. Kg1 Rhg2+ 37. Kf1 Rgf2+ 38. Kg1 Rxf3 (If Black is going to decline the draw by repetition he must have a winning plan) 39. Rd5 Rg3+ 40. Kf1 Rgg2 41. Rf5 Ra2 42. Rxa2 Rxa2 43. Ke1 Kg6 44. Kd1 Ra4 45. Rb5 Rxg4 (At this point it is Black with the extra Pawn that has the advantage. White's only winning shot consists in getting his King up to support his QRP.) 46. Rb6+ f6 47. a6 Ra4 48. Kc2 Rxa6 49. Rxa6?? (But this decision throws away the game. Black's Pawns are isolated and cannot effectively force a win.) h5 50. Kd2 Kg5 51. Ke2 h4 52. Kf2 f5 53. Ra1 Kg4 54. Ra4+ f4 55. Kg2 h3+ 56. Kh2 Kf3 57. Kxh3 Ke3 58. Ra3+ Kf2 59. Kg4 (The side with the Rook wins if his Rook and King can control a square that the Pawn has yet to cross. In that case the square is f3.) f3 60. Rxf3+ and White went on to win.

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