MSCRRT 2021: Umlaut vs. MURDERCAT (1–0)

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxd6

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxd6 30. cxd6

[MURDERCAT]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxd6 30. cxd6 Qd7

[Umlaut]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 e6 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. O-O Rfe8 13. a3 Nb6 14. g4 h6 15. Kg2 Nh7 16. c5 Nd7 17. e4 Bxd4 18. Nxd5 exd5 19. Bxd4 dxe4 20. Bxe4 Nhf6 21. Bd3 Nd5 22. Bc4 Rad8 23. Rad1 N7f6 24. Be5 Qe7 25. b4 Nc7 26. Rd6 Nfd5 27. b5 cxb5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Qxd5 Rxd6 30. cxd6 Qd7 31. Rc1

[MURDERCAT]

Yeah ok I resign this isn't going anywhere lol

[Umlaut]

Thank you for the game! This was not an easy one to win!

Prior to finding 26. Rd6 I spent probably way too long staring at the position thinking, "I really ought to have an advantage here but I can't find any way to convert it." Your knights were doing a pretty good job of blockading my bishops so the plan was to find a way to force them away for some kind of kingside attack, or else use the threat of one to get some other concession, but I could never find a line where that definitely worked without your making some kind of mistake. I really wasn't sure I had a win until you played 27... cxb5.

[MURDERCAT]

Yeah you were crushing after b5 and really even before that. There was this constant threat of g5 I walked into when I played Nf6 and I was really in a bind after that. Apparently I had the right idea with moving the knight to cut off your rook, but I moved the wrong one. If I didn't play cxb5 you were just winning my pawn with your rook after b takes, so I thought maybe at least I could trade down a bit and fight with the pawns but I was still too trapped. It was definitely a good game, you basically just had more active pieces throughout and I just kept getting slightly worse throughout the middlegame. Your bishops definitely had the advantage after I opened things up, that was probably the thing that lost me the game. Well played!