September Chess Games

Some of the more interesting or instructive games I played against my computer this month.

Irregular Opening

Computer is white. I did not put book openings into the computer program. A human player with access to a library would be cheating, and so it is with computers. The Homeostatic Chess Player computes its own opening moves. There is a small random "fuzz" factor in the position value computation so it will play different openings, even with the same look-ahead depth.

	White	Black
1.	Nf3	d5
2.	e3	h6     White is being indirect, so black takes liberties with a prophylactic move.
3.	Bb5+	c6     White loses a tempo.
4.	Be2	Bf5
5.	Nd4	Bg6

Position after move 5.

6.	Bh5	Bxh5
7.	Qxh5	Nf6    White loses another tempo.
8.	Qh4	e6
9.	Nc3	Bd6
10.	O-O	Nb8d7  White will have trouble developing his queen's bishop.

Position after move 10.

11.	f4	O-O
12.	f5	Qe7    White's pawn advance is premature.
13.	Rb1	e5
14.	Nb3	e4     Black allows the white knight to return, but opens the line for his bishop.
15.	d4	d3     Black captures en passant, half opening the king file.

Position after move 15.

16.	cxd3	Ne5
17.	Bd2	Nxd3    White was going to lose one pawn or the other.
18.	Nd1	Rf8e8
19.	Bc3	Be5
20.	Rf3	Bxc3

Position after move 20.

21.	Nxc3	Nc5
22.	Qd4	Nxb3    Black doubles white's knight pawn.
23.	axb3	Qe5
24.	Ra1	a6
25.	Qb4	Re7     Black prepares to double his rooks on the king file.

Position after move 25.

26.	g3	Ra8e8
27.	Nd1	Qe4
28.	Rf4	Qd3
29.	Qc3	Qe2     Black has penetrated with his queen.
30.	Qd4	Re4

Position after move 30.

31.	Rxe4	Rxe4    Driving out the white queen from the center.
32.	Qb6	Ng4
33.	Qd8+	Kh7
34.	Qc7	Qxh2+   White resigns

Position after move 34.

Queen Pawn Opening

Computer is white. This one is fought to a draw.

	White	Black
1.	e3	c5
2.	Nc3	Nf6
3.	d4	e6     White transposes into a queen pawn opening.
4.	Nf3	a6     Black takes the time for a prophylactic move.
5.	Be2	d5     Black transposes into a double queen pawn game.

Position after move 5.

6.	O-O	b5
7.	a4	b4
8.	Na2	Bb7
9.	c3	Nc6    Black has an avantage of space on the queenside.
10.	dxc5	Bxc5   Liquidation begins.

Position after move 10.

11.	Nxb4	Nxb4
12.	cxb4	Bxb4
13.	Qb3	Qe7
14.	Bd2	Bxd2
15.	Nxd2	O-O    Material is even but white has the queenside pawn majority, a slight advantage.

Position after move 15.

16.	Ra1c1	Rf8c8
17.	Qb6	g6     To prevent loss of a pawn, black must give up control of the open file.
18.	Rxc8+	Rxc8
19.	Bxa6	Bxa6
20.	Qxa6	Qc7    White's two passed pawns look formidable. Black might consider resignation.

Position after move 20.

21.	Ra1	Ng4
22.	g3	Qc2
23.	Qe2	Qxb2
24.	Rd1	h5
25.	h3	Ne5    Black's position is once again tennable.

Position after move 25.

26.	f4	Nc4
27.	Kf2	Qa3
28.	Nxc4	Rxc4
29.	Rb1	Rxa4
30.	Qb2	Qa2    Black is a pawn up, but it's a theoretically drawn endgame.

Position after move 30.

31.	g4	h4?    Black is trying to avoid pawn exchanges, but this clinches the draw for white.
32.	g5	Ra3
33.	Qxa2	Rxa2+  Leaving a rook and pawn endgame. It generally takes a two pawn advantage to win one of these.
34.	Kf3	Ra3
35.	Rb8+	Kg7

Position after move 35

36.	Kf2	Rc3
37.	Rb2	Ra3
38.	Rc2	Rb3
39.	Ra2	Rc3
40.	Rb2	Ra3

Position after move 40.

41.	Rc2	Rb3
42.	Ra2	Rc3
43.	Rb2             Draw by repetition

Position after move 40 (from black's point of view).

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com