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CT800 – MM4

This is a game between the CT800 and the Mephisto MM4, both at 20 seconds per move.

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MM4
CT800
[White "CT800"]
[Black "MM4"]
[Opening "English Opening"]
[WhiteElo "2100"]
[BlackElo "1953"]
[Date "2016.08.20"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "1/20"]
1. Nf3 {Transposing to the English Opening.}
c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d3 Nf6 4. g3 d5 {Now it is a reversed
Sicilian setup.} 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2
e5 7. Qb3 Na5 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qe4 Bd6 {Nb4 would have
kept the game equal.} 10. Nxe5 Nf6 11. Qe3 O-O 12. Nxd7
{Makes the bishop on g2 much stronger.}
Qxd7 13. Qd2 Nc6 14. Nc3 Rad8 15. O-O Rfe8 16. b3 Be5
17. Bb2 Nd4 18. e3 Nf5 19. Rfd1 b5 20. Rac1 h6 {a6
would have been better.} 21. Bh3 Bxc3 {Losing more
material. Instead, g6 would have been the move.}
22. Bxc3 Qe6 23. Qb2 Nd5 24. Bxg7 Ndxe3 {Qg6 was much better.}
25. Re1 Qg6 26. Bf6 Rd6 27. Be5 {That bishop belonged on c3,
but still, the game is won.} Rde6 28. Rxc5 f6 29. Bc3 Qh5
30. fxe3 Qxh3 31. e4 Nd6 32. Bxf6 {White is now three pawns
up, the endgame is clear.} Rf8 33. Be5 Nf7 34. Bf4
{Closing the f-file for the moment.} a6
35. Rec1 Qg4 36. Rc7 Rd8 37. Rc8 Qf3 38. Rxd8+
{Trading down material and putting the knight out of the game.}
Nxd8 39. Qd4 Nf7 40. Qd7 Rb6 {Putting the rook off the game.}
41. Rf1 Qh5 42. Bc7 Qg6 {The rook has no escape square.}
43. Rxf7 Qxf7 44. Qxf7+ Kxf7 45. Bxb6 h5 46. Kg2 Ke6
47. d4 Kd7 48. Kh3 Kc6 49. Bc5 a5 50. Kh4 Kd7 51. d5 a4
52. e5 axb3 {Black resigned.} 1-0

    CT800 vs. MM4

 1. Ng1-f3   c7-c5 (English Opening)
 2.  c2-c4  Nb8-c6
 3.  d2-d3  Ng8-f6
 4.  g2-g3   d7-d5
 5.  c4xd5  Nf6xd5
 6. Bf1-g2   e7-e5
 7. Qd1-b3  Nc6-a5
 8. Qb3-a4  Bc8-d7
 9. Qa4-e4  Bf8-d6 (Nd5-b4 would have kept the game equal.)
10. Nf3xe5  Nd5-f6
11. Qe4-e3     0-0
12. Ne5xd7  Qd8xd7
13. Qe3-d2  Na5-c6
14. Nb1-c3  Ra8-d8
15.    0-0  Rf8-e8
16.  b2-b3  Bd6-e5
17. Bc1-b2  Nc6-d4
18.  e2-e3  Nd4-f5
19. Rf1-d1   b7-b5
20. Ra1-c1   h7-h6 (a7-a6 would have been better.)
21. Bg2-h3  Be5xc3 (g7-g6 would have been the move.)
22. Bb2xc3  Qd7-e6
23. Qd2-b2  Nf6-d5
24. Bc3xg7  Nd5xe3 (Qe6-g6 was better.)
25. Rd1-e1  Qe6-g6
26. Bg7-f6  Rd8-d6
27. Bf6-e5    ...  (Better Bf6-c3, but still won.)
27.   ...   Rd6-e6
28. Rc1xc5   f7-f6
29. Be5-c3  Qg6-h5
30.  f2xe3  Qh5xh3
31.  e3-e4  Nf5-d6
32. Bc3xf6  Re8-f8
33. Bf6-e5  Nd6-f7
34. Be5-f4   a7-a6
35. Re1-c1  Qh3-g4
36. Rc5-c7  Rf8-d8
37. Rc7-c8  Qg4-f3
38. Rc8xd8+ Nf7xd8
39. Qb2-d4  Nd8-f7
40. Qd4-d7  Re6-b6
41. Rc1-f1  Qf3-h5
42. Bf4-c7  Qh5-g6
43. Rf1xf7  Qg6xf7
44. Qd7xf7+ Kg8xf7
45. Bc7xb6   h6-h5
46. Kg1-g2  Kf7-e6
47.  d3-d4  Ke6-d7
48. Kg2-h3  Kd7-c6
49. Bb6-c5   a6-a5
50. Kh3-h4  Kc6-d7
51.  d4-d5   a5-a4
52.  e4-e5   a4xb3
 (Black resigned.)

You can also save the game for offline use with your favourite chess GUI: download game (PGN).

The CT800 starts out in a calm way, then takes a pawn during the opening. The gambit is sound because it is compensated by enough tempos, and the MM4 nicely pushes to develop its pieces.

The CT800 exchanges one of its knights for the important light squared bishop and enjoys the pair of bishops. The MM4 is clearly ahead in development, but needs some time to coordinate its pieces.

Meanwhile, the CT800 completes its development while holding back its centre pawns. Now the MM4 has turned the tempo compensation into spatial advantage in the centre.

The CT800, however, is fine with less centre space and opts for a setup with both of its bishops fianchettoed. The MM4 builds up pressure in the centre, eyeing the weak white d-pawn, but the CT800 uses its pair of bishops to stab the centre from the flanks, embracing some ideas of “hypermodern” chess strategy.

This results in tactical entanglements where the CT800 tries to win a minor piece, which the MM4 can only fend off at the cost of two more pawns. Instead of directly going for the endgame, the CT800 first launches a piece attack and finally succeeds in winning a minor piece in addition to the pawns.

Since the MM4 has run out of wood, the endgame is hopeless, and the MM4 resigns.