Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tournament Tactics: Start

Submitted by WGM Natalia_Pogonina Chess.com


By “start of a tournament” we usually mean the first 2 or 3 rounds. They define the tactics for the whole event. However, unlike the finish, the first few rounds are less important. In a perfect world the best approach would be to win all the 2-3 rounds, but life is more difficult. Let’s talk a bit about what tournament tactics one can use to achieve good results.
First of all, it depends on the tie-break scores and tournament format.
1)      Open tournaments
In open events the most popular tie-break score is Buchholz (or its variations). In this case it doesn’t make sense to go all out during the first few rounds. Nonetheless, you might want to take a risk in one of the first three games since, even if you lose, there will be time to catch up. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you should play casually (stay focused on winning), but, when making your decisions, remember that most of the tournament lies ahead. There are numerous examples when people started with, for example, 5/5 and didn’t win, or were dragging behind until a certain point, but then emerged victorious. For instance, Tatiana Kosintseva performed poorly in the first few rounds of the Women’s European Championship-2009 (or Russian Superfinal-2010), but became the European Champion (tied for first and got bronze). A case from my personal experience: in 2005 I was playing in the Russian U-20 Championship and got only 1 point out of 3. Then I pulled myself together and scored 7.5/8, finishing 1st. These examples prove that one should never give up.
A different situation takes place when the main tie-break score is progress: in the case of a tie, results of the first round are compared (the higher the result, the better, i.e. a win scores better than a draw). If they are equal, then results of the second round are compared, etc. The start becomes extremely important, and it makes sense to concentrate on performing well in the initial rounds. If you fail to do that, you will have to score better than your opponents in order to clinch the top place.
2)      Round robins
In round robins everyone gets to play more or less the same opposition, so the start factor is less important. No matter what the result, you will still be playing the same person the next day, according to the schedule. One of the main tasks for the start of the tournament is to evaluate your chess shape, feel the energy of the chess pieces and pull into the tournament. I myself prefer to play long and relatively riskless games in the first few rounds. This is a good preparation for the main part. Also, after a few rounds it becomes evident who the “victims” (i.e. players who are performing well below their usual strength) of this tournament are, and one may dedicate more efforts to beating them.
Today I will share with you my annotations of the 1st round game vs IM Olga Girya at the Russian Superfinal. I didn’t perform well enough in the tournaments before the Superfinal, so it was important to find out what my chess shape was. In the game I obtained a long-lasting advantage. The result was only a draw, but it was still a good warm-up game for me.
Pogonina, N. (2472) vs. Girya, O. (2435)
60th ch-RUS w | Moscow RUS | Round 1| 16 Nov 2010 | ECO: B12 | 1/2-1/2
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nge2 Ne7 6. Be3 O-O 7. a3 Ba5 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. Ng3 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. O-O-O Qc7 ( 11... dxe4 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Rxd8+ Bxd8 14. Ngxe4 ) 12. Bd4 ( 12. Bc5 Rd8 ) 12... dxe4 ( 12... Rd8 13. Qe3 ) 13. Ngxe4?! ( 13. Bc5 e3 ( 13... Rd8 14. Qxd8+ Qxd8 15. Rxd8+ Bxd8 16. Ncxe4 ) 14. Qxe3 Bb6 15. Re1 ( 15. Be2 Be6 ) ) 13... Bb6? ( 13... Rd8 14. Be2 ( 14. Qg5 Nf5 ) 14... h6 ( 14... Nf5 15. Bxe5 Rxd2 16. Bxc7 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Bxc7 18. g3 ) 15. g4 ) 14. Bxb6 axb6 ( 14... Qxb6 15. Nd6 Be6 16. Qe1 N5g6 ( 16... N7g6? 17. f4 ) 17. h4 ) 15. Be2 ( 15. Qd6 Qxd6 16. Nxd6 Nf5 17. Nce4 Rd8 18. Rd2 Be6 19. Nxf5 ( 19. Nxb7? Rxd2 20. Nxd2 ( 20. Kxd2? Ra7 ) 21... Kf8 ) 20... Bxf5 ( 19... Rxd2 20. Nh6+ gxh6 21. Kxd2 ) 20. Nd6 Be6 21. Be2 ) 15... Be6 16. Qd6 Rfc8 ( 16... Qxd6 17. Nxd6 Nf5 18. f4 ( 18. Nxb7?! Ne3 19. Rd4 Nxg2 20. Rg1 Ne3 21. Re4 N5c4 22. Nd1 ( 22. b3 Rfb8 23. bxc4 Nf5 ) 23... Nxd1 23. Rxd1 b5 ) 18... Nxd6 19. Rxd6 Ng6 20. Rf1 Ne7 ( 20... Nh4 21. g4 ) 21. g4 g6 ( 21... Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. f5 Bc8 24. Na4 b5 25. Nb6 ) 22. Rfd1 ) 17. Rhe1 ( 17. f4 N5g6 ( 17... Ng4 18. Bxg4 Bxg4 19. Rd2 ) 18. Rhf1 ) 17... N5g6 ( 17... Nd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Rd4 Bxe4 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Rxe4 Re7 22. f4 Ng6 23. Rxe7 Nxe7 24. Bd3 ) 18. g3 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Qxc7 Rxc7 21. Nc3 ( 21. Nd6 Ne7 ( 21... Rd8 22. Nc4 ) ( 21... Rd7 22. Nc4 ) 22. c4 ( 22. Bc4 Bxc4 23. Nxc4 Nd5 ) 23... Be6 23. Bd3 Rd7 24. Bc2 Rad8 25. Nxb7 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 27. Kxd1 Bxc4 28. b4 ) 21... Be6 22. f4 Kf8 ( 22... Re7 23. Ne4 Bh3 ( 23... Bd5 24. Nd6 Rd8 25. Nf5 Red7 26. Ne3 b5 27. Bg4 Re7 28. Nxd5 Rxd5 29. Bc8 ) 24. Nd6 Rd8 25. a4 ) 23. Bf3 Rd7 ( 23... Re7 24. h4 Ree8 25. h5 Ne7 26. g4 Rad8 27. f5 Bc4 ( 27... Bc8 28. Na4 ) 28. b3 Ba6 29. Kb2 ) ( 23... b5 24. Re3 ( 24. Ne2 b4 ) 24... Re8 25. Ne2 Rce7 26. Nd4 Bc8 ( 26... Bd5 27. Rxe7 Nxe7 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Nxb5 Re2 30. Nd6 Ne3 31. Rd3 ) 27. Red3 ) 24. Rxd7 Bxd7 25. Ne4 Ne7? ( 25... Rd8 26. Re3 ) 26. Rd1 Be8 ( 26... Rd8 27. Nd6 Bc8 28. a4 ) 27. Nd6 Ra7 ( 27... Rb8 ) 28. c4 f6 ( 28... g6 29. Kc2 ) 29. Bg4 Bf7 30. Nxf7? ( 30. Kc2 g6 31. Kc3 f5 32. Bf3 Be6 33. Kb4 ) 30... Kxf7 31. Rd8 Ra4 32. Be2 Ke6 33. Kc2 Nf5? ( 33... Ra5 ) 34. Kc3? ( 34. Kb3 Ra5 ( 34... b5? 35. cxb5 cxb5 36. Bxb5 Rd4 37. Bc4+ ) 35. Bg4 h5 36. Bxf5+ Rxf5 37. Rb8 g5 38. fxg5 fxg5 39. Rxb7 Kd6 40. Rxb6 Rf3+ ( 40... Rf2 41. a4 Rxh2 42. a5 Kc7 43. Rb4 Rh3 44. a6 Rxg3+ 45. Ka4 Rf3 46. Rb7+ Kc8 47. Rg7 ) ( 40... Kc7? 41. Rb4 ) 41. Ka2 Kc5 42. Ra6 Rf2 43. h4 g4 44. Ra5+ Kxc4 45. Rxh5 Rg2 ) 34... Nd6 35. Bd3 f5 36. Rg8 ( 36. Kb3 b5 ( 36... Ra5 37. Ka2 ) ) 36... Kf7 37. Rb8 Ke6 38. Kb3 Ra5? ( 38... b5 39. cxb5 cxb5 40. Kc3 ) 39. Kc3? ( 39. Ka2! ) 39... Ra4 40. h3 h6 41. g4 fxg4 42. hxg4 Kf6 43. Rd8 ( 43. g5+ hxg5 44. fxg5+ Ke7 ( 44... Kxg5? 45. Rd8 Nf5 46. Rd7 Ra7 47. Be4 Kf4 48. Bxc6 g5 49. Rxb7 Rxb7 50. Bxb7 ) ) 43... Ke7 44. Rg8 Kf7 45. Rh8 b5 46. b3 ( 46. cxb5 Rxf4 47. bxc6 bxc6 48. b4 Nb5+ ( 48... Rxg4 49. a4 ) 49. Bxb5 cxb5 50. Rb8 ) 46... Rxa3 47. cxb5 cxb5 48. g5?! ( 48. Kb4 Ra1 ( 48... Ra6 49. Rd8 Ke6 50. Rg8 Kf7 51. Rd8 ) 49. Rd8 Ke6 50. Rg8 Kf7 ( 50... Rd1 51. Bxb5 Nxb5 52. Kxb5 Kf6 ) 51. Rd8 Ke6 ) 48... hxg5 49. fxg5 Ra1 50. Rd8 Ke7 51. Rg8 Kf7 52. Rd8 Ke7 ( 52... Ke6 53. Rg8 Rc1+ 54. Bc2 Kf7 55. Rd8 Ke7 56. Rg8 Ne8 57. Kd2 Rf1 58. Bd3 Rf2+ 59. Ke3 Rb2 60. Bg6 Rxb3+ 61. Kf4 Nd6 62. Rxg7+ Ke6 63. Bh7 Rb4+ 64. Kf3 ) 53. Rg8 Kf7 54. Rd8 Ke7 55. Rg8 Kf7
One of my key mistakes was to simplify the position on move 30. Black started breathing more easily after that, and it became harder to win the game.
» posted in Scholastics

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