ANNOTATED CHESS GAMES
"TRIGGER"
P. ROBERTS VS. [FM] D. ELORTA | December 2019 | LOST
The tournament began with a simultaneous exhibition between the tournament players and FIDE Master David Elorta. Known as the "Blitz King of the Philippines," FM Elorta competed in the 2019 SEA Games.
This was my first game against a titled chess master.
1.d4 c5 2.c4 cxd4 3.Qxd 4.Nc6 4.Qd1 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 g6 7.b3 Bg7?
I prepared the Queen's Gambit opening for this tournament. I delved and studied most of the fundamental lines and tried to create some traps and some tactical opportunities in the opening. I was not expecting a benoni, although I did not want to push for my previous plans either so I just tried to be strategic and create a blastful opening with possible fast exchanges and an open queen-side.
8.Bb2? Qa5?! 9.Qc2? Ne4 10.Rc1 Bf! 11.Nh4? Nxc3
I opted to prepare my Queen and Bishop on the Queen-side for a fianchetto, hurling over the King-side, with plans to break it open with some bishop and knight sacrifice (some c5...Bc4... Nxf5 or Nxg6 Ideas), hence the Nh4 move.
12. Bxc3 Bxc2 13.Bxa5 Bxb3!! 14.Bc3?! Bxc3+! 15.Rxc3 Ba4 16.e4?! Nd4 17.Bd3 b6 18.f4 f6 19.g4?! Kd7 20.Rf1 Bc6 21.Kd2 Rac8?! 22.Nf3?! Nxf3+ 23.Rxf3 h5?!
After thinking for a while, I was able to calculate many variations after Bxc3 until Rxc3, although with a slight difference of having the idea of Bxa2. After 15. Ba4, the position seemed a bit too tight for me, so I opened the position with e4. A few moves after, I realized that I may have over-extended the pawns. Thus, the Idea to push the king to the center to further enhance and stabilize the weakening pawn structure.
24.h3? hxg4 25.hxg4 Rh2+ 26.Ke3 f5 27.a3 Rch8 28.g5 R8h4 29.Kd4?! fxe4 30.Bxe4 e5+ 31.Ke3 exf4+ 32.Kd4?! Rd2+ 33. Rcd3 Rxd3+ 34.Kxd3 Bxe4+ 35.Kxe4 Kc6
I eventually had to pay my mistakes of having to push pawns without having any further short-term strategic planning. I did however have some slight ideas of some King-push along the d5 and e6 squares.
36.Kd4 Rg4 37.Rf2 a6 38.Rf3 Rxg5 39.Rxf4 Rg3 40.a4 Ra3 41.Rg4 Rxa4 42.Rxg6 b5 43.Rg3 xc4+ 44.Kd3 a5
To my mind, at that moment, it was already like squeezing water out of a rock. Then again, I evaluated in my head what move was a total blunder, and can't think of any significant ones. I was just happy enough to make it that long through a game with a master without having any opening or middlegame knock-out blow.
45.Rg1 a4 46.Ra1 d5 47.Rb1 b4 48.Rb2 b3 49.Rd2 a3 50.Rd1 2 51.Ra1 b2 52.Rxa2 b1=Q+ 53.Rc2 Qxc2+
"THE LAST PAGE"
P. ROBERTS VS. UNNAMED | FEBRUARY 2020 | WON
In my last on-the-board tournament before the pandemic, I experimented with my games throughout. I prepared well for the technical aspects of the game, but I neglected my physical preparation, which led to a decline in my performance in the later rounds. This tournament gave me the opportunity to see beyond my actual strengths and weaknesses, which I was able to refine soon after.
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.e3 a6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.a3?! Be7?!
There is not much to say about these opening moves, other than I was preventing a possible Nb4 ideas that could attack my Bishop that lines up on the b1-h7 diagonal
9.O-O O-O 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.b4 Bd6 12.h3 Re8 13.Bb2 Ne5
In this position, I have spent some time and calculated several variations after Nxe5, considering the late-middlegame and endgame positions and pieces. I was not able to find any move-set or some sacrifice that could lead to a potential significant advantage.
14.Be2?! Be6 15.Nd4?! Rc8 16.Rc1 Qd7 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Na4?! Rxc1! 19.Bxc1 Qc7?! 20.Bb2 Ned7 21.Qc1 Rc8 22.Qxc7 Rxc7 23.Rc1 Rxc1+ 24.Bxc1 b5 25.Nb2 Kf7 26.Bd2 Ne5 27.Be1 Ne4
I ended my notations here.
"QUARANTINE CROWN"
P. ROBERTS VS. [WFM] O. KOSTENIUK | DECEMBER 2020 | WON
After the February tournament, I minimized my chess activities to avoid burnout. On March 16, 2020, the official lockdown began. In mid-April, motivated, I decided to return to chess full-time to refine my play and correct my previous mistakes. With all this newfound free time, I was able to work on my chess for long hours each day. After two and a half weeks, I watched the Korean show "Kingdom" (my first Korean show). I was so obsessed with the show that I didn't sleep from the night I watched the first episode until the very last. I credit this sleepless binge-watching for my late-night studies. In May 2020, after a short break, I was motivated to train again. I started training from 3 AM to 9 PM each night. Although I took breaks from chess at times, my focus and schedule remained consistent throughout,
and I also used this time to study other fields.
1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.e3 d6?! 4. d4 cxd4 5.exd4 Nf6?! 6.Nf3?! Bg4 7.Be2 e6 8.O-O Be7 9.Nd2? Bxe2
I already had ideas of pushing d4 to d5, suddenly I had the quick thought of exchanging the Knight with a Bishop, with a possible Knight maneuver from Nc3, Ne2, Ng3. This with the initiative of pushing the f-pawn and some breaks along Black's King-side.
10.Nxe2 O-O 11.Nf3 Qb6?! 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 Ne5 14.Bg5? h6 15.Nxe5 dxe5 16.Be3? Qxb2
I calculated a few variations after Bxf6 but did not have the need to exchange. Wanting to have some attack on the Queen-side, I went with Be3. I immediately realized that Be3 was nonsense as it only led to a provoked Qb2 idea.
17. Rb1?! Qa3 18. Rxb7 Qxa2?? 19. Rxe7 Nxd5 20. Rxe5 Nf6 21. Bxh6? gxh6 22. Qd3? Qa4 23. Nf4?? Qxf4
A slip, I wanted to continue a Ng3 - Nf5 Idea..
24. Rf5 Qh4 25.g3?! Rad8?? 26.Qf3 Qd4?! 27. Rxf6 Kh7??
In this position, despite the time constraint, I was able to calculate the Rxf7, Kg8 variation. Although, having a widely-open King was at sight, the position felt at a repetitive draw, if not for a rook lift from f1 which will take some time and risk due to Qd1 and Qe5 diagonal threats.
28.Qf5+ Kh8?? 29.Rxh6+ Kg7 30.Qh7#
"GRAND CONQUEST"
P. ROBERTS VS. [FM] A. FORGACS | MAY 2021 | WON
At this point, my time was split between chess training, academic projects, and certification studies. Although I still had some free time due to the online classes being manageable, I was eager to improve my overall play. I was also agitated by the thought of suddenly losing my free hours when quarantine ended. So, for about two to three months, I slept for only 4-5 hours a day on my study desk recliner. I wanted to be mentally prepared for the work ahead of me as soon as I woke up, so I would sleep both in the early morning and between classes. I wouldn't call it "hard work," but I had this fiery drive and vision in my head that was hard to resist. I simply acted upon it.
1. c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 Bg7 4.d3? d6
I have improved this English Opening line with a d4 immediately after this game, due to the instinctive unnecessary d3.
5.e5? O-O??
An immediate blunder, my idea behind e5 is that after ...dxe5, f4, ex4, or Bxf4, and plans of Nc3 and Bf2. A slight advantage for Black, but I have converted these positions in the past into an advantage upon the late-middle game phases, so it was nevertheless a comfortable position.
6.exf6 exf6 7. Nf3 Re8+ 8. Be2 f5 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 Ne5
In this position, I could have extended my Bishop to g5, but was hesitant to do so as there was an immediate sight of f6 or Bf6. On a Bf6 move, not wanting to exchange my Bishop I would have made a Be3. Realizing later on that Bxf6 is already an advantage for White. On an f6, it would be the same nonethless for a Be3 to happen.
11.d4 Nxf3+ 12.Bxf3 Bd7 13.b3 Bc6 14.Rc1 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 c6 16.d5 c5 17.Nb5 a6 18.Nc3 Qf6 19.Qg3 Qe5 20.Bf4 Qf6 21.Bxd6 h5 22.Bf4 h4 23.Qd3 g5 24.Be3 f4 25.Bd2 g4
The reason why I did not make the 25.Bxc5 move is that the succeeding moves of either some pawn-push to the King-side or b6, leaves the Bishop on the empty a3 square unable to protect some possible castled king attacks. It's still best to take c5 of course, because after Ba3, there's already the chance of some d6 push but with 36 seconds in the clock, I just felt better protecting the King than gambling Bxc5.
26.f3 g3 27.h3 Qd4+ 28.Qxd4 cxd4 29.Ne4 f5 30.Ng5 Re2 31.Bxf4 d3 32.Rcd1 d2 33.Ne6 Re8 34.Bg5 Bc3
At this point, it would have been already correct to have some Rxd2 move before the Bishop defended. It was just that the castled-King position felt too tight, so I had the idea of just breaking it. Which is contentful, as this prevents a sudden rush of some back-rank mate and provides safety escape squares for White.
35.Bxh4 Kf7 36.Bxg3 R8xe6 37.dxe6+ Kxe6 38.Bf2 Ke5 39.Kh2 f4 40.Bg3?! Kf5?!
A Bishop-sacrifice, I was intending to play Kxg3 as this looked good for white with the ideas of a pawn-push of either f4 or h4 on the king-side.
41.Bf2 Rxf2 42.Rxf2 Be5
The position of Black here is hopeless, I was careful still not to have some immediate blunder or mistake, looking after a more-accurate end-play
43.Rfxd2 b5 44.Rd5 a5 45.Rxe5+ Kxe5 46.cxb5 a4 47.bxa4 Kf5 48.b6 Kg6 49.b7 Kh5 50.b8=Q Kh4 51.Qxf4+ Kh5 52.Qg4+ Kh6 53.Rd6+ Kh7 54.Qg6+ Kh8 55.Rd8#
"THROUGH fire"
P. ROBERTS VS. [WGM] J. Frayna & [im] p. bersamina | MAY 2021
A Dream match. This game was like the Elorta game two years ago, a match between two people I look up to.
This time, I was a better version of myself as a player.
1.c4 Nc6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4?! e5! 4.d3 Bc5 5.Be2 O-O 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 Bd4? 8.Nf3 g5?
At this point, I really don't care about sacrificing Nxg5.
I am actually more comfortable sacrificing my pieces and breaking the King open with whatever pieces and strategy I have in order to win.Although having a slight disadvantage, it suits me a lot better. An explosive, yet risky style of play.
REACTION:
9.Nxg5?! hxg5 10.Bxg5 Bxc3+? 11.bxc3 d6?! 12.O-O Kg7?! 13.f4! Qe8 14.h3? Nh7! 15.Bh4?! f5? 16.Bh5 Qe6 17. g4? exf4?!
I gambled. My intentions here are already somewhat clear,
I did not want a draw and not in the game anymore to play safe and have some long and winding middlegame and endgame. This is the complete summation of all my training and the polar opposite since the Elorta game. I wanted to put on a knock-out blow, a risky situation as it puts my King into the open but it was black or white for me, a win or lose.
REACTION:
18.gxf5 Qh6 19.Kh2! Kh8 20.Rg1! Ne5??
21.d4! Nxc4? 22.Qg4 Bd7?!
I reviewed the move immediately as I felt there was a winning move. Thought instantly about the time, and just as instantaneous of a move, I then proceeded to make a miss.
REACTION:
23.Bg6 Ne3! 24.Qg5 Nxg5
Before my 24.Qg5 move, I quickly rewinded back before Qg4, and immediately spotted the Rg6 move. Reasonably I felt disappointed, but quickly got back on my heels and proceeded to sacrifice my Queen next. Another sacrifice with a long-term idea of putting some pressure on the King on h8 with some Battery along the g file and the opposite-line diagonals.
