As titled, this is a training game.
Please use this thread for all comments, analysis and questions (including spectators.)
NAF1138 has asked for a tactical game!
My next post will give the actual game thread.
N.B. There is a previous training game (Dead Cat v glee) here.
The most popular opening moves for White are:
Possibly the oldest opening move (since the moves of the pieces last changed in the Middle Ages); often leads to open games and sometimes gambits.
Standard replies include 1. … e5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … c6, 1. … Nf6, 1. … d6, 1. … d5 and 1. … g6.
Along with e4, probably the most popular opening move; can leads to semi-open and blocked games.
Standard replies include 1. … d5, 1. … Nf6, 1. … f5 and 1. … g6.
Came in about 100 years ago; often leads to manoeuvring positions.
Standard replies include 1. … e5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … c6, 1. … Nf6 and 1. … g6.
Also came in about 100 years ago; and likewise often leads to manoeuvring positions.
Standard replies include 1. … d5, 1. … c5, 1. … e6, 1. … Nf6, 1. … d6 and 1. … g6.
Professional players will have prepared analysis for at least one opening (in which case it will be very detailed), or far more often two or three. (Having this choice makes it harder to predict what they will play* - and hence harder to prepare for them.) This analysis can easily go to move 15 (or even further in highly-analysed openings.)
Note that is is far more important to understand the ideas in the opening 
as opposed to learning variations. :smack:
There is a continuing battle to find new moves and new ideas in existing openings.
*I remember preparing to face a Grandmaster in the British Championship. I looked up 50 of his recent games. He had four different openings in his repertoire. :eek:
So, I figure I don’t really stand a chance of winning so I am going to talk through all my moves out loud in this thread and maybe get better at how I think about stuff as a result.
As it stands, I ignored all the good advice to have novices ignore openings and I learned three openings but only the first several moves of each. After a certain point I figured that I needed a basic plan of attack at the start of any given game rather than just waiting to see what my opponent was going to do and hoping he made a mistake before I did.
So, as white I play the English, and as black I play either kings Gambit declined or… The French! So because 1e4 was the first move, I’m playing the French 1…e6.
What do you do as Black if your opponent plays something other than 1. e4? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with the King’s Gambit Declined, but I don’t think 2. f4 is played that often, so if I was going to prepare two openings as Black, that wouldn’t be one of them.
It will be interesting to see what sharp tactical lines glee can come up with in this game, given we have just had a fairly quiet, positional game with the same opening.
Nobody should ignore openings! (As a strong player once said to me “Every game has an opening” 
)
By all means know the first few moves (It’s unlikely there will be a surprise that early), but don’t play them automatically. Keep thinking about what is happening … and of course:
As Dead Cat remarked, what is your opening v 1. d4?
Sorry I mistyped it’s queens Gambit declined not kings. I was posting while distracted! But that’s my 1d4 opening.
The French is one of the most solid openings. Black lets White have a slight advantage in the centre, but keeps everything defended.
So we may get a positional game after all…
As somebody once said “White chooses the opening; Black chooses the variation.” Not 100% accurate, but an interesting thought.
This was your basic advice to me the last time I talked about chess with you, back when I first started playing my regular game (about 2 years ago). It has proven to be the best advice I have gotten and has been a good fall back when I get stuck. I tend to get analysis paralysis and focusing on those things is helpful in keeping it simple.
I’m confident Black will play 2. … d5, since that is the whole point of the French. Black challenges the White pawn on e4 and is ready to recapture with a pawn if White plays 3. exd5.
After 2. … d5, White has some choices:
I thought of trying the gambit line, but if Black doesn’t take on e4, the pawn on f3 looks clumsy (e.g. White can’t play Nf3)
In general, I firmly believe players should try to play the best (or a good) move. Playing a weak move that sets a trap may work - but you could probably have beaten that opponent with good moves anyway.
I only play ‘trappy’ moves if I’m losing…
So my move here is part of a strategy I have used successfully against the advance in my games against my friend. I am curious to see if it is as solid against someone who is good. I don’t think it’s a “trappy” move, but it does delay my development which is a risk.
I have played the plan of … b6 myself - so there’s nothing wrong with it! Black’s idea is to exchange white-squared bishops with … Ba6. This is good, because the Bishop on c8 is blocked by fixed pawns on e6 + d5, so is not very useful.
N.B. Once the centre is blocked, development becomes less urgent.
Note that my last move contains a trap. 
If 4. … Ba6? 5. Bxa6 Nxa6 6. Qa4+ wins a piece and the game.
This is an example of the fork tactic: attacking two enemy pieces simultaneously, which are either undefended or high-value.
NAF,
when entering moves in the game thread, do feel free to quote the previous post and edit it a bit. This keeps the player’s names and previous moves on display.
Spectators can use the excellent apronus website diagram to not only see the current position, but also replay the whole game (using the << and > buttons below the game position.)
Will do. Thanks for the tip.
This is, fortunately for me (?), a trap I have fallen for in the past. You only need to have it happen once!
Well the game has taken an unexpected turn - I was all set to play a gambit (or at least a tactical line) - but between us NAF and I have come up with a blocked centre, leading to quiet manoeuvring on the sides. :smack:
My last move shows what I think - I’m just trying to gain some space on the Kingside with a pawn move.
My second choice would have been 5. a4 - trying to gain some space on the Queenside with a pawn move.
These sorts of plan in the opening (not developing a piece, nor getting castled) are only possible in such a closed position.
Well… Now I have to think a bit, because those weren’t moves I would have been expecting.
Ball seems to be in my court and I need to figure out what to do with it.
Decided not to overthink things too much and continue my development.
Some analysis here which could affect future moves, so the players may want to avoid reading it for now:
[spoiler]I certainly wouldn’t say your move was wrong, but I’d have been tempted to play …c5, to try and give my dark-squared bishop a bit more scope. Also, as a general rule, if your opponent is pushing forward on the flanks, opening up the centre can be a reasonable response. It also avoids shutting the bishop in. But I really have no idea if this is the right plan here.
I did also wonder about …g6 and …Bh6, with the aim of exchanging dark-squared bishops, but Black’s very white-squared pawn structure put me off that idea (as well as the time it would take) - I’d be concerned about dark-square weakness after that manoeuvre, even with White’s dark-squared bishop off the board. Plus White can easily avoid the exchange with f4 or Nd2.[/spoiler]
A reasonable reaction!
I’ve not had this particular sequence of moves before, even though I have played many games starting 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5.
Since the centre is blocked, both sides have a wide choice of plans and moves.
It’s hard to decide which is best when there are no forcing variations to analyse.
My experience tells me that the advance by White to h5 will be useful as it prevents Black playing either …h5 or …Ng6.
I’m not trying to predict Black’s next move(s) at this point.*
*apart from Ba6, which is undoubtedly coming sometime.