Game Analysis #15: King's Gambit Declined, Queen's Knight Defense

Let's look at another one of my early online games. I'm going to post the whole game first before dissecting it into different positions where the tide of the game shifted. Although, to be honest, there are some really cringe-worthy moves that I made in this game so you will know from the outset that I am going to do badly in this game.

Also, I requested a computer analysis of this game from lichess so that I can get a better perspective of which positions to highlight. But most of the alternative variations from the analysis above were made without the assistance of engines. I just gave what I thought would be playable moves. There are some variations that I played through which gave an advantage to one side. However, you will find that since I was mostly at a disadvantage, those variations would either lead to an equal position or a good position for White.

Now, let's move to the critical positions in the game. These are the turning points that gave away the advantage from one side to the other.

Position 1

I chose three positions for this game because I believe these are the most critical decision-making points that shifted the control of the game. Initially, things are fair game but every move contributes to the overall outcome of the game. From the start, both sides are trying to rack up as much strategic points or advantages that they can.

So that's why the King's Gambit or any opening gambit for that matter is usually frowned upon by computers. But we're amateurs here so it's fair game. And even technically unsound gambits can catch an experienced opponent off-guard if they don't know how to respond to it properly or if someone is able to prepare variations for that opening.

In this first position, you can see that it's not the typical sharp game that the King's Gambit leads to because I declined the gambit. I was in uncharted territory back then and I thought it would be suspicious if somebody would just offer up their pawn. So I defended my pawn and waited for his next move and I'll know where to go from there.

We made a few natural developing moves until we came to this position. White offered up another pawn which I took and as you can see his position is getting a bit cramped. His other knight does not have its natural developing square to c3 and the dark-squared bishop is hemmed in by the pawns. It was my turn and I had the chance to gain the upper hand early on in the game. It could have gone exd4 cxd4 and something like Bg4 or Bf5. But I immediately went Bd7 which allowed White to establish his pawn structure.

This is an important point in the game because the pawn structures later on would give White his initiative and momentum. When I could have gained space and good squares for my pace, I was left with scattered pieces with White having good central control.

Position 2

This position is interesting because there is a tactic that I did not see. The game went 1. ...Nb4 2. Bxd7 Qxd7 3. Qb3 Qxd5 4. Qxd5 Nxd5. With Nxe5 however, I get back my pawn and potentially give White doubled pawns. Also, you can see from this position, that my knight on g5 is awkward and my pieces are very passive, while White has good central control and more space.

Position 3

This is the last position and it seems like Black is doing okay now after many pieces were exchanged. Material is even but White has more advanced pawns. Also, you can notice that White has a target on f7 which he will continue to put pressure. The best response would be f6, preempting the attack on f7 because there are no good moves to defend it. Imagine if you make a couple of random moves like a6 and b5, White can play Rcf1 then take on f7. The e-pawn will just march forward uninhibited.

Conclusion

In any game, there is always the possibility of tipping the scales from one side to the other. Even if you are at a disadvantage, you can still try for a draw if you aren't completely lost yet. It is always best to make solid moves and stick to the basics. Don't try to complicate things when you're not sure where they will lead.