February 2019 Chess Games

The games shown here were played against my chess applet, the Homeostatic Chess Player, a computer program I wrote in the first year of this century.

Queen's Gambit Accepted

I played white, minimal look ahead is six tempi. February 13-14. This game illustrates why chess experts say black should not try to hold onto the gambit pawn.

	White	Black
1.	d4	d5
2.	c4	dxc4    Black accepts the gambit pawn.
3.	e4	b5      White does the most aggressive continuation establishing a pawn phalanx in the center. Black defends the pawn.
4.	Nc3	c6
5.	a4	b4

Position after move 5.

6.	Na2	b3
7.	Nc3	Ba6     Black is all-in on holding that gambit pawn.
8.	Nf3	Nd7
9.	Be3	Qa5
10.	Nd2	Nb6

Position after move 10.

11.	f3	O-O-O?  White reinforces his strong center but black "castles into it."
12.	Kf2	Nf6     White gets his king off the black queen's diagonal.
13.	Qc1	Ne8     White increases pressure on c4 and black prepares to reinforce it.
14.	Nc3b1	Kb7     Black now concedes the pawn. Nd6 is met with e5.
15.	Nxc4	Bxc4

Position after move 15.

16.	Bxc4	Qb4     Black holds the pawn at b3, for now.
17.	Be2	Nxa4?   White wisely eschews the pawn at f7. Taking it would cost a tempo and black could get well.
18.	Rd1	Nd6
19.	Nd2	f5
20.	Nc4	Nxc4

Position after move 20.

21.	Bxc4	Nb6     White threatens Bd2 winning the knight.
22.	Ba6+	Kc7
23.	d5	Nxd5    Black realizes the end is near.
24.	exd5	Qh4+
25.	Kg1	Qf6

Position after move 25.

26.	Bxa7	e5      Black finally activates his king's bishop, but too late.
27.	Qc3	Ra8     Black has nothing better.
28.	Qa5+	Kd7
29.	dxc6+	Ke6
30.	Bc4+	Black resigns

Position at move 30.

Queen Pawn Opening

I played white, minimal look ahead is six tempi. February 9-11.

	White	Black
1.	d4	e6       The chess applet has no opening book programmed into it. Humans can't use a book so why should computers?
2.	Nf3	Nf6
3.	c4	Bb4+     White expands on the queen side.
4.	Nc3	Nc6
5.	Qc2	O-O      Black continues development.

Position after move 5.

6.	a3	Bxc3+    Black's consistent continuation. Retreating the bishop loses time.
7.	bxc3	Rb8
8.	e4	d6
9.	Bd3	h6
10.	O-O	Bd7

Position after move 10.

11.	h3	e5       Black has a fair position, all on hueristics.
12.	Re1	g5
13.	Qe2	exd4     Probably better for black not to undouble white's bishop pawns.
14.	cxd4	g4
15.	hxg4	Nxg4

Position after move 15.

16.	e5?	dxe5     Probably better to put the queen's bishop on b2 first so the knight can recapture the king pawn.
17.	dxe5	Ne7
18.	Nd4	Bc8
19.	Bb2	c5
20.	Nc2	h5

Position after move 20.

21.	Ra1d1	Qb6
22.	Bc1	Bf5
23.	Qf3?	Qg6      White is at a loss as to how to proceed.
24.	Qe2	Rf8d8
25.	Bxf5	Nxf5

Position after move 25.

26.	Bf4	Nd4
27.	Nxd4	Rxd4
28.	Rxd4	cxd4
29.	e6	Rc8
30.	exf7+?	Qxf7    Loses a pawn. Pushing past may be better for white.

Position after move 30.

31.	Qd2	Qxc4    Black is solidly in the driver's seat but taking with the rook might have been better.
32.	Re7	Qb3     Black threatens mate.
33.	g3	Qxa3
34.	Rxb7	Qa1+
35.	Kg2	Qa6

Position after move 35.

36.	Qb2	Qa4
37.	Qb1	Rc2?    Black king in the open!
38.	Rb8+	Kg7
39.	Qb7+	Kf6
40.	Rf8+    Black resigns

Position at move 40.

Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com