My Senior Open Moment

Here is my last round game against Johnny in the E-town Senior Open. I forgot to reset to the starting position so please click on the extreme left double arrow to begin. This is a very instructive game and I tried to put in detailed commentary after the moves, but when I did the game wouldn't post correctly. So I will add some brief comments here and below the game. The opening is The London System which allows the White side to develope without having to memorize extensive tabia. It can be met in various ways, I decided to deviate from my usual defense and exchange the white bishops early. I had only tried this once previously and lost because I left my knight enprise.

Chess game
Owens vs. Weldin

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 a b c d e f g h +3

(black to move) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 b6 5. Nf3 cxd4 6. cxd4 Ba6 7. Bxa6 Nxa6 8. O-O Nc7 9. Nc3 Ncd5 10. Nxd5 Nxd5 11. Bg3 Be7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Qa4 a5 14. Ne5 f6 15. Nxd7 Kf7 16. e4 Nb4 17. Rxc8 Qxc8 18. Nxb6 Qa6 19. a3 Qxb6 20. axb4 Qxb4 21. Qxb4 Bxb4 22. d5 Rd8 23. Rd1 e5 24. f3 a4 25. Ra1 Ra8 26. Kf1 a3 27. bxa3 Rxa3 28. Rxa3 Bxa3 29. Ke2 Ke7 30. Kd3 Kd6 31. Kc4 g6 32. Be1 f5 33. g3 h5 34. Bb4+ Bxb4 35. Kxb4 g5 36. h3 g4 37. hxg4 f4 38. gxf4 h4 39. fxe5+ Kxe5 40. Kc5 h3 41. d6 h2 42. d7 h1=Q 43. d8=Q Qc1+ 44. Kb5 Qb2+ 45. Ka6 Qe2+ 46. Kb7 Qb5+ 47. Qb6 Qd7+ 48. Qc7+ CHECK!

[ Flip the board | Reset | Options… ] Play chess online

 

Options:
	- allow legal moves only;
	- use short algebraic notation;
movement/animation speed: (slow) (fast)
	- show legal moves;

 

Pawn promotion:
	- Queen
	- Rook
	- Bishop
	- Knight

I can only try to explain my "senior moment" this way. After 36.h3 if you removed the d&e pawns, all things being equal, we have an end game win for black after 37.hxg4 f4 which has been "hard wired" into my brain for 45 years. Hopefully this game is as instructive to the reader as it was for the players.