Jennifer Ishee (1660)
vs Dan Bock (1764)
Alto Round 5
B25 Sicilian, closed
- e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Nge2 e6 7. O-O Nge7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Rb8 10. Bh6 b5 11. Bxg7 Kxg7 12. Nf4 b4 13. Nce2 e5 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. exd5 Nd4 16. c3 bxc3 17. bxc3 Nxe2+ 18. Qxe2 Bd7 19. Rab1 Qa5 20. c4 Rb4 21. f4 Rxb1 22. Rxb1 Re8 23. fxe5 Rxe5 24. Qf2 Bc8 25. Rf1 Qc7 26. Qb2 Qe7 27. Re1 f6 28. Rxe5 Qxe5 29. Qxe5 fxe5 30. Kf2 Kf6 31. Bf3 Kg5 32. Ke3 h6 33. Kf2 Kf6 34. Ke3 Bd7 35. Kf2 Ba4 36. Ke3 a5 37. Kd2 g5 38. Ke3 Kg6 39. Ke4 Bd7 1/2-1/2 (https://lichess.org/broadcast/alto/round-5/ufP9u2rq)
‘Back in the day’ 2 Nc3 was the choice of the AW. There were two reasons for playing the closed variation. The Nadjorf was my choice when beginning to play the game, therefore there was no desire to face MY opening. The other was there was so much theory one needed to know to play against all the different Sicilian defenses and I did not have enough time to devote to studying the best way to play against the myriad Sicilian variations.
After 2…d6 Stockfish shows 2…a6 as best. That it may be, but ‘back in the day’ we ‘humans’ did not play the move. The numbers at 365Chess show almost 50,000 games in which the second move was 2…Nc6. All other moves total about 30,000. 2…d6 and 2…e6 have each been played in about 12,000 games. Then comes 2…a6, showing about 3,000 games.
Then we come to the third move, 3 g3. It was de rigueur to move the g-pawn one square with the third move. Stockfish shows 3 Nge2 best. According to 365Chess the second choice, according to the numbers, has been 3 f4 (4332), with 3 g3 (4169) close behind. The bronze move is 3 Nf3 (1346). The choice of SF, 3 Nge2, comes next with 1089 games. The move did not appear in the above game until move 6.
Then we come to the third move, 3 g3. It was de rigueur to move the g-pawn one square with the third move. Stockfish shows 3 Nge2 best. According to 365Chess the second choice, according to the numbers, has been 3 f4 (4332), with 3 g3 (4169) close behind. The bronze move is 3 Nf3 (1346). The choice of SF, 3 Nge2, comes next with 1089 games. The move did not appear in the above game until move 6.
The above position has been on a board in front of me on numerous occasions. It was the reason for playing the Closed Sicilian. White plays 6 Be3, follows with Qd2, and you can say, “Kingside ATTACK!” In the above position the Stockfish program at lichess.com plays 6 Be3, and so should you. Jennifer played 6. Nge2. Mr. Bock answered with 6…e6 when the best move is 6…e5. After Jennifer castled kingside with her seventh move the following position was reached:
Dan Bock played 7…Nge7. There was a better move. Can you find it? The moved played in the game looks natural but when the position is examined closely one sees that the player of the white pieces has left herself open to the dangerous thrust, 7…h5! Now in lieu of white attacking it is Mr. Bock who would be attacking on the kingside, something no player with the white pieces wants to see this early in the game. If the knight that moved to e2 had been played to f3 there would be no h-pawn storm with which to contend. After 7…Nge7 things were “back to normal” so to speak, and Jennifer was allowed to play the thematic Be3; Qd2; and Bh6, to attack the black king.
Then we come to the position after 11…Kxg7:
We again have a thematic position. From much personal experience this former player of the Closed variation of the Sicilian Defense knows the move played in the game, 12 Nf4, is not good. Although most players are taught to “go forward” there are times when a retreat is called for, and this is one of those occasions. Jennifer should have played the retrograde 12 Nd1. Although black obtained an advantage that grew to alarming proportions, the General of the white pieces somehow kept it together enough to hold the draw in this hard fought game.
Armchair Warrior 