The following essay was submitted by Shawn Rhoney, a member who commonly attended our Tuesday night meetings at Borders Bookstore, and who is now stationed in Germany with the Army.  The analysis is Shawn's.

At the time this game was submitted, Shawn had a USCF rating of 1729, and in this game goes up against an opponent over the internet with an apparent rating of almost 2200, near Master strength. A ratings difference this great could be intimidating, but Shawn looks past the numbers and plays the board, not the person. That returned good dividends, as his opponent did not play anywhere near an expert  level. Had Black played with the expectation of losing, he probably would have. The moral of this essay is that one should play as well as possible in every game, and not to be put off by the ratings of your opponent.

Internet game

White: Internet Opponent server rating 2170

Black: Shawn Rhoney

1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 g6
3.c4 Bg7
4.Nc3 O-O
5.e3 {?! I was very happy that my opponent diverted from the King's Indian Defense line early because now I can seek a more aggressive course.}

5... d5 {! switching to the Gruenfeld a favorite of Bobby Fischer }

6.c5 {?? most likely a mouse error -- I don't think any 2100 rated player would play it in OTB (over the board) game because keeping the tension allows white to gain play along a open or half open c-file. }

6... c6 {!? securing a strong point defense  }

7.Be2 Bg4 {!? a non standard move in a King's Indian setup, the reseason Black keeps the light square bishop is too later use it to breakup White's king-side defenses after advancing his king-side pawns. Thus, it usually in White's interest to remove this bishop and pressure Black's queen-side. }

8.h3 Bxf3!
9.Bxf3 Nbd7
10.Qc2 e5!
11.O-O e4 {!? gaining  space but black could seek more conventional methods. }

12.Be2 Ne8 {!? a method of maneuvering in Indian defenses, a key concept that must be understood in order to play close system such as the Spanish and Close Sicilian. }

13.f3 f5
14.fxe4 fxe4
15.Bd2 Nef6

16.Be1? { lost of time }

16... Bh6
17.Bd2 Qc7
18.Qb3 Qg3!
19.Nd1 Nh5! { Black ignores the attack on his pawn in order to press White's King-side while there are still holes in its security.  }

20.Bxh5 Rxf1+
21.Kxf1 Rf8+
22.Kg1 gxh5
23.Be1 {??? fatigue is my only thought for this ugly blunder by my opponent. }

23... Qxe1+
24.Kh2 Rf1 { White must give up a piece to prevent the threat of Rh1+ 0-1 

Was it possible for my opponent to escape at move 23? Qxb7 Kh8! Qxd7? Rg8!

What to learn from this game is not to fear your opponent's rating. Be creative. Offering pawns for attacking chances and pressure. Open a attack route. Understand concepts of maneuvering and strong point defense. Make use of holes and mistakes made by the opponent. It is better to understand an opening than to memorize lines. Thus the move 6.c5?? would never have occurred. }

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