Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
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[Event "1994 Alabama Corr Chess Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1994.01.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hayes, David"]
[Black "Schweinsberg, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2070"]
[ECO "D17"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "1975"]
{ This game is from Alabama's first Correspondence Chess Championship.|The
1994 ASCCC was a double round robin, USCF rated event. I ultimately tied with
Master John Morash for first place honors. Here is a short correspondence
game from that tournament. } 1. d4 { D17: Slav Defence: 5 a4 Bf5: Lines with 6
Nh4 and 6 Ne5 } 1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 c5 { The
standard book line here is 6... e6 releasing black's kingside bishop. Black's
variation from tried and true book lines at such an early point in a well
analyzed opening such as the Slav is risky. Still, how does white refute
black's early attack on the center? } 7. e4 { White, already down one pawn,
offers yet another. However, black's position is difficult for four reasons.
One, black moved his c- and d- Pawns twice in this opening. Remember that old
saying? Avoid unnecessary pawn moves in the opening. Therefore, many of
black's pieces remain in cold storage on his back rank while his pawns march
into battle. Two, black's king is in the volatile center of the board and
will not soon castle. Three, black must move a piece twice in the opening to
either accept the gambit or protect his bishop. Remember that other old
saying? Avoid moving pieces more than once in the opening. And four, the
tactics support this move. } 7... Bg6 { Lets explore the result if black had
accepted this second gambit. 7.. . Nxe4 [7... Bxe4? 8. Bxc4 e6 (8... Bg6? 9.
Qf3 hitting b7 and threatening Bb5+) (8... Bd5? 9. Nxd5 Nxd5 10. Qf3) 9. Nxe4
Nxe4 10. Bb5+ Ke7 11. Qf3 (or O-O to be on the safe side) Qa5+ 12. Kf1 Nd6
13. dxc5 or Bg5 with advantage to white.] 8. Bxc4 (This move is better than
Nagel/Margulles, 1932 which proceeded along similar lines. i.e. 8. Qf3 cxd4
9. Qxf5 Nd6 10. Bxc4 e6 11. Bb5+ Ke7 12. Ng6+ hxg6 13. Nd5+ exd5 14. Qe5#
However, after 8... e6! 9. g4 (9. Nxe4 Qxd4) Qxd4 10. gxf5 Nxc3 11. Nxf7
black has counter play.) 8... e6 (8. .. Nd6 9. dxc5 Nxc4 10. Qxd8 Kxd8 11.
Nxf7+ with advantage for white.) 9. Bb5+ Ke7 10. Nxe4 Bxe4 11. Qh5 cxd4
(11... g6? 12. Qh4+ picks off the Bishop or 11... Bg6 12. Qh4+ f6 13. Nxg6+
picks off the Rook next) 12. Qxf7+ with a strong attack. Black feared these
lines and chose to decline the gambit. } 8. Bxc4 { White develops rapidly with
threats. The threat of an eventual Bb5+ is the greatest of these threats.
Aron Nimzovich summed it up nicely when he said, the threat is stronger than
the execution. This bishop actually finds better hunting on the f7 pawn.
Still my opponent is tied in knots by the threat of Bb5+. } 8... e6 { The natural
move. However, the outcome is still in doubt after the stronger 8... cxd4! 9.
Bb5+ N6d7! 10. Qxd4 a6 11. Bxd7+ Nxd7 12. Qxd7+ Qxd7 13. Nxd7 Kxd7 14. Bf4 e6
15. O-O-O+ Ke8. } 9. Bg5 { Possibly better is the immediate 9. d5. Still, rapid
piece development cannot be bad. } 9... Qc8 { If instead black had played 9... Qxd4
there would follow 10. Bb5+ N6d7 11. Nxd7 Nxd7 12. Qe2 white prepares 13. Rd1
with advantage. After 9. .. Be7 10. Bb5+ Nfd7 11. Bxe7 Kxe7 12. Nxg6+ hxg6
13. d5 Nf6 14. dxe6 fxe6 with advantage for white due to black's bad pawns. } 10. d5 exd5 { Possibly better is: 10... Be7 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. dxe6 fxe6 13.
Qb3 Kf7 14. e5 Ng4. } 11. Nxd5 Nfd7 { One of black's only developed pieces
retreats to huddle around black's beleaguered king. Black may have feared
Nxf6 followed by an eventual Bb5+. Sometimes the threat of a move is more
powerful than the action. Possibly better is 11... Nc6. Also weak is, 11...
Nbd7 12. Bb5 a6 13. Nxf6+. Of course not, 11... Nxd5 12. Bb5+ Nd7 13. Qxd5. } 12. Nxg6 hxg6 { Black resigned in light of the pretty double piece sacrifice
mate in five. 13. Nc7+! Qxc7 14. Bxf7+ Kxf7 15. Qd5+ Ke8 16. Qe6+ Be7 17.
Qxe7#. A slower alternative is: 13. Bf4 Nc6 14. Nc7+ Ke7 15. Nxa8 Qxa8 16.
Qd6+ Kd8 17. Qc7+ Ke8 18. Bxf7+ Kxf7 19. Qxd7 where the material lose and
poor position cannot be overcome. } 1-0