1. e4 e6 2. d3 Overly conservative for White. 2. d4 is normal for the French defense
2... c5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. g3 Fianchettoing the bishop when it's blocked by a pawn on e4 makes little sense.
4... g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. Ngf3 Nge7 7. O-O O-O 8. c3 b5 Black goes for a major expansion of space on the queenside, an effective idea given the cramped configuration of the White pieces.
9. Re1 d6 10. Nf1 White should hit the black line of pawns to disrupt them. Two ways to go about this are 10. e5
and
10. a4
However, the move played prepares for a later d4, also a worthwhile counter thrust.
10... a5 11. Bd2? White's position is too cramped. 11. d4 is an important attempt to free up some space for his pieces.
Also possible is 11. Be3 if and only if it is understood that the move is made to support d4 on the next move.
But instead, the move played makes d4 all but impossible.
11... a4 12. Rb1 b4 13. Qe2 There is little purpose to this move. Clearly, the action is taking place on the queenside, and this move cuts the queen off from that side of the board. the queen on e2 is not useful to support a pawn push to e5, not is that push desirable without a supporting pawn on d4. If the queen had to move, c2 is a better square for it.
13... a3 14. Rec1 axb2 15. Rxb2 Ra3 Black has broken through, and now will accumulate forces to overwhelm the uncoordinated White defenses.
16. Rbc2 Ba6 17. c4 Qa5 18. Ne3? Black just doubled the attacking force on a2, but White neglects to add to the defense. White should have brought the queen to bear on the challenged pawn by moving the bishop out of the way with 18. Be3
or
18. Bf4
or even
18. Bg5
18... Rxa2 19. Rxa2 Qxa2 20. Rc2 Qa4 21. Be1 b3 22. Rb2? 22. Rd2 is still very difficult for White.
22... Bxb2 23. Qxb2 Qa2 24. Nd1 24. Bc3 complicates Black's attack as it makes a threat of it's own, however superficial that may be, and does a better job of blockading the advanced pawn.
24... e5 25. Bd2 Ra8 26. Bc3 Bc8 27. Nd2 Nd4 28. Bxd4? The king needs to centralize to deal with back rank threats before stripping down the pieces. This move inevitably loses a piece, however, if delayed the other Black knight will cover d4 and there will be no way to evict it. The end if very near now.
28... exd4 29. e5 Qxb2 30. Nxb2 Ra1+ 31. Nf1 dxe5 32. Bf3 Bh3 33. Bg2 Bd7 34. h4 Rb1 0-1
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 This is the Classical Sicilian Defense, known for it's straightforward development. The other main theme in the Sicilian is
2... d6 with it's own class of theories. The Sicilian Defense is one of the best openings, but is also one of the deepest and most complicated of all opening, with volumes devoted to it's study.
3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 This is characteristic of the Accelerated Dragon variation of the Sicilian. Traditionally, it is more common in the 2... d6 lines, and usually after ... Nf6, but this move order is gaining popularity at all levels of play.
5. Bc4 Most common for White here is
5. Nc3
or
5. c4 the famous Maroczy Bind.
The move played seems perfectly acceptable, but I'm not up on the theory of this variation, so I'm, not qualified to comment more on it at this time.
5... Qa5+ An interesting continuation. The move does create some problems for White, as the most obvious replies fail to tactical shots. Nor example, if 5, Bd2? or 5. Nc3 then 5... Qc5, or if 5. c3 White's development is inhibited, although that is the best reply. On the other hand, the Black queen has been brought out too early, and White may be able to profit by this, attacking it to further his development. Alternative for Black at this point all transpose into more studied and conventional lines.
6. Bd2? Qc5 7. Nxc6 Qxc4 8. Na5 Qxe4+ 9. Kf1 As ugly as it is, this is White's best move. Black has a nice advantage, owing to White's misstep at move 6. White is going to be on the defensive for a long time, with a poorly placed knight and a blocked in rook, while Black's plan will be to develop while attacking the enemy kingside, eventually pushing his pawns into a long chain to exploit his material edge.
9... Nf6 9... Bg7 is slightly better, as it superficially threatens the White rook. The game might then go 10. Nc3 Qf5 threatening the other knight 11. Nb3 b6
In fact, developing Black's light squared bishop is such a good idea it can also be done right away, as in
9... b6 10. Nb3 Bb7 11. f3 Ba6+ 12. Kg1 with an embarrassing kingside for White.
10. Nc3 Qe5 Not bad, but
10... Qf5 is better since the queen cannot be attacked so easily on that square.
11. Nc4 Qb8? This move completely gives away Black's positional superiority, making his queenside even worse than White's kingside, abandoning the center, and so restricts the queens movements that she may become trapped.
12. Qf3 Much better is 12. Bg5 Bg7 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 Bg7 15. Qe1 e6 16. Qb4! and Black is forced to resort to 16... Bf8 after which 17. Qc3 (17. Qe1)
(17. Nf6+)
are all playable.
12... Bg7 13. Re1 d6 Protecting the queen for now but making her rehabilitation all the more difficult.
14. Bf4 14. Bh6! and if 14... Bxh6 15. Qxf6 O-O 16. Qxe7 This is possible because White controls the center and Black's development lags.
14... Be6 This move is necessary and isn't so bad, since the dark squared bishop is fianchettoed. With every piece gotten off the back rank, Black's game improves. But it is necessary for Black to get the queen off of b8.
15. Ne3 O-O 16. Ned5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5 e5? I prefer
18... Qc7 on principal. As mentioned above, developing the queen is critical for herself and for the queen rook. Also, the move played makes the d pawn dangerously backwards and exposed on a file White can readily control.
19. Bg3 The bishop has too little scope from this square. Redeployment to the queenside would have been preferable.
19... Qc7 20. c3 Rac8 21. Rd1 Rfd8 22. Ke2 Qc5 If Black wanted to trade off queens, which isn't a bad idea,
22... Qc4+
was the way to do it.
23. f4? The timing of this moves makes no sense. White just placed his king onto a more vulnerable square, presumably to develop the king's rook to the e file, a good plan which he should follow through on. Until that's been done, White is only asking for trouble by opening up lines.
23... exf4 Now that Black has been given attacking chances, the queen becomes a valuable asset as an attacker, and should be taken off the block with
23... Qb6 threatening a pawn with check on b2. With the move played, it's now better for White to exchange queens, but he doesn't do it.
24. Bxf4 Re8+ 25. Kf3 Dangerous, but the only way to preserve hope of getting the other rook into the game.
25... Qxd5+? A significant strategic error. Granted, the White queen is useful in defense, but the Black queen is useful in the attack. But the real consequence is that Black makes the d pawn permanently isolated, and that extra pawn is a major advantage Black has had. Unless he envisions tactics that will lead to a win in short order, the pawn situation should be preserved or even improved. The way to do that is
25... Be5
26. Rxd5 Be5 27. Re1 27. Rhd1 was better to maintain pressure on the isolated d pawn and to keep control of the second rank so that intruders can be challenged.
27... Kf8 Better is 27... Bxf4 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Kxf4 Re2
As played, the game should draw as an even rook and pawn ending. The asymmetry of pawn placement is not enough to give either side an appreciable edge.
28. Bxe5 dxe5 29. Rexe5 Rxe5 30. Rxe5 f6 31. Rd5 Ke7 32. Ke4 Ke6 33. g4 Rc4+ 34. Rd4 f5+ I don't like the splitting of the kingside pawns for Black, as that puts them both at risk of capture, and makes their progress to the back rank difficult.
35. gxf5+ gxf5+ 36. Ke3 Rxd4 37. cxd4 I don't like the splitting of the White pawns either, for the same reasons.
37... Kd5 Black would do better to advance the queenside pawns first, to gain time should the ending turn into a race on opposite wings. In fact, the game is now lost for Black, though it is very difficult to count out over the board. Perhaps the best move here is a draw offer.
38. h4 h5? Although Black cannot save his game any longer, this move only makes it easier for White. Rather than blocking the h pawn, it gives the White king a shorter trip to capturing it. Black gives white more chances for error by advancing the queenside pawns and making it seem both sides have chances, in which case a draw offer is more likely to be accepted.
39. Kf4 Ke6 40. d5+ Kxd5 41. Kxf5 a5 The right idea, but much too late. White does best to simply ignore it, but it makes little difference, since Black is so many tempo behind.
42. a4 b6 43. Kg5 Ke6 44. Kxh5 Kf7 45. Kg5 Kg7 46. h5 Kh7 47. h6 Kg8 48. Kg6 Kh8 49. h7 b5 Ouch, but it's forced.
50. axb5 a4 At this point, the score has stopped, so it's hard to tell if Black now resigned, lost on time, or if the game continued with 50. axb5 a4 51. b6 a3 52. b7 axb2 53. 8=Q#. But in any case there was no real hope of a stalemate as white can simply abandon the h pawn and have two connected passers on the other wing.
1-0
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. Bc4 e6 5. O-O Bg7 6. Re1 d6 7. d3 Nge7 8. Rb1 This move has questionable value. Better to develop with 8. Bf4
or
8. Bg5
8... O-O 9. Ne2 d5 10. exd5 exd5 11. Bb3 This move makes it clear that White never intended to fianchetto the queen bishop.
11... Bg4 12. Ng3 Nd4 Taking immediate advantage of the pin before it's too late.
13. Be3 Nec6 14. Bxd4 White should not give up a good bishop for the knight, especially as it won't prevent the disruption of the kingside pawn structure.
14. c3 is the best approach available.
14... Nxd4 15. c3 Nxf3+ 16. gxf3 Bh3 17. Qd2 Qd7 18. Ne2 The knight is important to keeping the vulnerable kingside closed to attack. Also, blocking the e file makes it easier to challenge one of White's assets. If anything, doubling rooks on the e file is desirable for white. Now that is no longer feasible.
18... Rad8 The rooks should be placed on the e file instead.
19. d4 cxd4 19... c4 maintains the cramp in White's position and keeps the bishop with few options. White has more defensive options as the position is opened, so the move played reduces Black's advantage, which at this point remains strategic and not material.
20. Nxd4 Rfe8 21. Qf4 Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Qf5 23. Rxe8+? A losing blunder. White should realize that the enemy queen not only threatens mate via g5, but also attacks the rook on b1. The only move that holds on here is 23. Qh4 though Black still has a very good game at that point, and will win a pawn with 23... Qxf3
23... Rxe8 24. Qd1 Qg5+ 25. Kh1 Qg2# 0-1