Lichess4545 Game Analysis 3

Here's another game, this time from the Lonewolf league. As usual, these are my comments without an engine. Some notes with engine-analysis are at the bottom of this. I will also try to get a PGN here too, but for the time being, copy my text and paste it into the "Notes" section of the lichess link and you can step through the moves and see my notes.

https://lichess.org/XAHdOmsxrZe9

My Notes

Trying the caro-kann. I do very little opening prep since I still think it doesn't matter too much but I did see my opponent likes to play the ruy as white so my natural instinct is to avoid that. Plus the few times I've played the caro as black feels somewhat natural.

(3) And of course, white plays the advance variation, the one (of three or four) responses that I don't know the exact best reply to but I figured get my light-squared bishop outside the pawn chain. I think Bf5 is a common move i many caro-kanns anyway.
(4) Natural from white, so I lock the center as I need to get my pieces out. I usually hate these advanced centers that white has, so the caro-kann advanced variation is worth looking into for me so I know how to play it correctly, I feel like I did though.

(5) We've transposed into a french structure but the typical bad bishop is outside my pawn chain! I see white's e-pawn is hindering my kingside piece development so I go for the c5 break to hopefully get my bishop out and then my knight can get to e7.

(10) White looks to be playing pretty natural moves. I am in the mode of trying to preserve the bishop pair whenever and that's what I try to do here but I end up giving white some queenside space and a pesky knight some room. Better might be 10. ...Bxc3 11. bxc3 but then white has a massive pawn chain that I'd have to figure out how to attack. Perhaps a6 trying for b5 and Nbf6 too (gotta make sure my rook gets defended so I don't lose a pawn due to tactics). Perhaps my pawn pushes would force white to push some pawns to stop my pawn break, and then I maneuver a knight into c4 if it becomes a good outpost.

(11) And white threatens Nd6 which I HATE! I've had those annoying knights before deep in my position and they can be tough.

(12) So I have to allow this weird trade and my queen is on an open-file.

(14) I thought this wasn't the best square for the bishop for white. I'm able to come up with a plan. I know white is wanting to play Rc1 to take control of the file and I calculate that my knight can plug that gap and b5 can help protect it. I didn't see a way for black to attack it more times than I can defend. The trouble proved to be coming up with a plan after that.

(17) Those moves were all expected but I didn't anticipate white trading knights on c4. I thought for a little on which way to take but I decided that this wasn't very critical so I tried to not waste time. I thought to maintain my bigger pawn chain. I get a passed pawn but white does have 2 pawns vs 1 on the queenside. Although his pawns are further away and it'll be some work. I think if 17. ...dxc4, I'd want to try to break up his a-b chain with a5 but that doesn't work well after Bc3.

(18) A lash-out from white! I didn't expect that either, it is certainly weakening to white's king but I see the point. I think it'd be stronger if their dark-squared bishop were on the c1-h6 diagonal. That's the bishop white has that I don't so it's what would be more helpful on the kingside I think. Anyway, this g4 move is the type I don't consider. I guess I defend okay but I should always be looking for ideas like this. The center is locked and my pieces are a bit tied down or inactive.

(19) Pawn storm from white. Looks scary but if I can defend then his king is weak. I play h6 but I am looking at f6 or h5 now. 19. ...f6 20. exf6 Rxf6 21. h5 and that falls apart for black, and the obvious 20. h5 is good--and black sac-ing the bishop Bxh5 doesn't work either. 19. ...h5 is the other thing but 20. gxh5 and black has to back up the bishop and the pawns might keep coming. I know the general advice is to counter-attack in the center when there's an attack on the wing, but how to do it for black? Perhaps ...h6 is the necessary move as I don't see anything else that attacks well.

(20) I was expecting h5 there, with Rc3 and Bc1 on tap.
(24) Unfortunate since white's attack looks interesting. Bc1 keeps the pressure. I'd assume it'd go 24. Bc1 Bxh5 25. Qxh5 g6 26. Qh2 (to load up via Kg2 and Rh1, or just the immediate Rh3) Ng7 27. Rh3 Nh5. I THINK that holds?! That Ng7-h5 maneuver might plug things, but I can't say for certain if I'd see that in game. I recall getting a little low on time here. And with Knight blocking on h5 I believe black has time to play Kg7 and Rh1 to safeguard the h-file.

(26) Black is up the piece but was getting hairy and low on time, I better find the right defense, or A defense. ....f6 gives the king a square and opens up stuff. If white ignores and plays 27. Qh2 Kf7 and white doesn't have an infiltration square.

(28) Kf7 might not be necessary for black but I suppose it gets the king safer and has some threats soon (getting stuff on the h-file)

NOTES FROM ENGINE ANALYSIS
To differentiate, these will be in italics.


(10) Indeed, stockfish likes the Bxc3 move, otherwise what happens in the game is good for white, but only by half a pawn, not too bad.


(14) Looks like my knight to c4 maneuver was a good idea, I recall seeing that my e7 knight was undefended and the engine wants white to play Bg5. Note that I think this bishop is the key attacking piece that was missing later in the game for white.


(17) bxc4 is indeed slightly better but I'm glad to see that neither are waaaay worse (-0.7 vs -0.2) so I was correct in my thinking that it wasn't hyper-critical to spend minutes deciding how to re-take.


(19) ...f6 is definitely bad as thought


(20 h5 is the move here and then Bc3, Bd2, and g5 coming. Engine says black is up -0.5 though, probably because my passed pawn.


(22) Hmmm Stockfish says black can just capture on h5. And then after g6 from black, the queen must retreat, and black can play Kg7 and swing a rook over. Even though it's even material, the engine says it's at least a -4 advantage for black there, probably all due to king safety. ...Rc8 is slow, stil maintains the advantage but lets white build more.


(23) Black still should trade the bishops. It's all about trading the scary piece then getting the king safe.


(24) Stockfish doesn't love my Bc1 idea for white because it so favors black to trade the light-squared bishops. Engine doesn't love my line I offered with the Nh5 blockade. It wants white to sac the exchange there which would definitely have to be calculated in-game. My line lets white give up a small amount of material but majorly expose my king. In the line I offer, instead of Ng7-h5, just the immediate Kg7 works fine.


(32) I thought there might be a mate but with lots of heavy pieces out and only 1-2 minutes on my clock, I simplified and got some time back.