Chess Opening: Queen’s Gambit Theory to Practice

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While learning the theories behind the chess openings especially with an eye to center control and development of pieces, you must understand that if both players could continue along the best theoretical lines, the game would end in a draw! But theory cannot take you to the end because if it could, there would not be any point in playing that kind of chess!

So a stage will come where theory comes to an end ideally with both players at level, and thereafter the players are on their own. The game is then decided through one player making some mistake, however slight it may be, and the other player being able to identify and exploit it. You will often notice that one may be able to get away with a minor mistake but situation keeps getting worse with each additional wrong move. Of course, a palpably bad move will draw the curtains on the game that much faster!

In the three-part article on Chess Opening: Control of Center, we just showed how the initial moves for different openings aim to seize control of center. What happens after those initial skirmishes depends on how each player carries forward his ideas. Unless you examine practical games arising out of those opening moves, your grasp of the potentials will remain a little nebulous. For this reason, we plan to show you at least two master games on the openings discussed, one going in favor of White and the other in favor of Black, so that you get an idea of why those games produced opposite results!

In Chess Opening: Control of Center – Part 3, we took you up to the sixth move. In the following two games, you will see identical development up to the 12th move after which those take their own path.

Max Euwe-George Thomas Hastings, 1934				Milan Vidmar-Movsa Feigin Hastings, 1936
1.	c4	e6		1.	d4	d5
2.	Nc3	d5		2.	c4	e6
3.	d4	Nf6		3.	Nc3	Nf6
4.	Bg5	Be7		4.	Bg5	Be7
5.	e3	0-0		5.	e3	Nbd7
6.	Nf3	Nbd7		6.	Nf3	0-0

Though the first game started differently, it has ultimately reached the same standard position. These initial moves were shown to impress on you that even when you are on unfamiliar ground, it is often possible to bring the game back to known territory through transposition of moves.
7.	Rc1	c6		7.	Rc1	c6
8.	Bd3	dxc4		8.	Bd3	dxc4
9.	Bxc4	Nd5		9.	Bxc4	Nd5
10.	Bxe7	Qxe7		10.	Bxe7	Qxe7
11.	0-0	Nxc3		11.	0-0	Nxc3
12.	Rxc3	e5		12.	Rxc3	e5

After the previous position, moves 7-12 are identical to bring both games to same identical position as dictated by theory of ECO code D68. If ECO code D69 is followed, the next two moves would be 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5. If you see the next two moves of the first game, you will see that it stuck to this route with a little difference in sequence, but the second game went into a different variation which went astray at move 15.
13.	Nxe5	Nxe5		13.	d5	e4!
14.	dxe5	Qxe5		14.	Nd4	c5!
15.	f4	Qe7?	By retreating the Queen there, Black allowed the unhindered progress of White’s KBP	15.	Nb5	Nf6	By chasing the Knight with his pawns, Black gained in tempo while acquiring more space. Black is eyeing the g4 square for his Knight taking advantage of the absence of defensive pieces close to White’s King. 15. Nc5 Qe5 16. Ng3 Nf6 would give White a better but complicated game.
16.	f5!	b5		16.	Qb3	Qe5	White probably planned to advance his QP but Black’s Queen move pre-empted this by creating threats on White King’s position with a possible Ng4.
17.	Bb3	b4	Black offered his c6 pawn to get White’s e3 pawn. White has no objection, he just wanted to time it right!	17.	Be2	b6	Not 17. … Nxd5 as 18. Rxc5 would pin the Knight. But after the text move, this would be possible.

18.	f6!	gxf6	The Black Queen’s position enabled White to sacrifice his KBP to break open Black’s castle.	18.	Rd1	Rd8	Trying to support the QP, White left his KBP weak and Black’s QB can force the exchange of White’s defender Bishop pinned against his Rook at d1.
19.	Rxc6	Qxe3+	White timed the exchange of the pawns to bring his Rooks to exploit the broken castle of Black King. You may also notice how White’s pawn moves were gaining tempo whereas Black’s pawn moves were not getting anywhere!	19.	f4	exf3
20.	Kh1	Bb7	Though Black opened a line to the White King for his Bishop, White’s threats are more real. 20. … Be6 could provide a defense against White’s threats.	20.	Bxf3	Bg4

21.	Rcxf6	Qe4	Black goes through his plans oblivious of White’s threats!	21.	Rcd3	a6

22.	Qd2!	Kh8	Black vacated g8 square to position his Rook but White continued to be one step ahead!	22.	Na3	b5	The Knight has practically been forced out of the game!
23.	Bxf7	Rac8	Black was hoping to get his QR to the 7th rank at c2 as the option of Rg8 has been taken away.	23.	R3d2	c4	Black’s pawns keep marching ahead, severely restricting the movement of White pieces.
24.	R6f2	Rcd8	White defends his KNP and prepares his Queen to take control of the open g-file.	24.	Qc3	Qh5
25.	Qg5	Rd6	Black prevented 26. Qf6# but did not anticipate White’s stunning response!	25.	Bxg4	Nxg4	White had to give in to allow the Knight’s move.
26.	Bd5!!	Resigns	Black cannot handle the mating threats by White Rook at f8 and by White Queen at g8.	26.	h3	Nf6
				27.	Rd4	Rd6
				28.	Nc2	Re8
The last board position is shown below.				29.	Qa5	Rxd5	White kept alive a mating threat on Black’s base rank and threatened to decimate Black’s Queenside pawns.

				30.	Rxd5	Nxd5
				31.	Rd2	Qg6
				32.	Rxd5	Qxc2	White accepted the exchange of Knights hoping to save his KP by virtue of his threat of baseline mate of Black King.
				33.	Re5?	Qd1+	White resigned as he cannot avoid losing his Rook. White could offer greater resistance by 33. Rd8 Qc1+ 34. Kh2 Qxe3 35. Rxe8+ Qxe8 36. Qxa6 though Black would retain a marginal advantage because of his extra pawn.
				The last board position is shown below.