Alapin French...

As noted in a recent post, I've been playing "chess by phone" via my BlackBerry, on a server managed by magmic.com, which publishes a chess game that runs on my phone. You can play against the program, though I've never been able to really immerse myself in a game against programs - perhaps because algorithms tend to defend tenaciously and without imagination, or maybe because I actually do relish the idea of pitting my skills against some other person (described variously as "crushing the other guy's ego") - but the program does let you play against other people over the network, and although it has become increasingly difficult to do so (lately, I've had to turn off the BlackBerry's firewall to display the current position), I have managed to finally finish - and win - my latest game.

[White "ALEXPGP"]
[Black "ELMINSTER"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5

{The French Defense, by transposition. The French is a cautious, solid defense for Black, who must for a while accustom himself to a cramped position that give good chances for eventual equality and avoids sharp lines normally associated with White occupying the center with his pawns.}

3.Be3

{This move was popularized by Semyon Alapin, a Lithuanian master who played at his strongest in at the turn of the 20th century. It places the Bishop on a nice square and entices Black to depart from well-trodden lines and capture the pawn on e4. In doing so, Black opens up the position, allowing White to play more aggressively.}

3...dxe4 4.Nd2

{Attacks the pawn and avoids a pin at b4.}

4... Nf6 5.f3

{This move offers a second gambit pawn for the purpose of opening up the position even more.}

5...exf3 6.Ngxf3 h6?

{I don't think this move was very good, as it weakens the pawn structure on the Black King side (the h pawn is now a target). Better was 6...Be7, in my opinion.}

7.Bd3

{Centralizing both Bishops, which (by the way) aim longingly at the flanks, and especially at the exposed king side.}

7...Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.Ne5

{One of these days, I must return and thoroughly analyze this position. I am quite confident that positionally, White has both compensation for the sacrificed pawn, and a better move.}

9... c6?

{Another waste of time, IMO. 9.Nbd7 was better}

10.Ne4

{I think it was still too early to mount any kind of wild attack, but the key to any aggressive opening is to keep up the pressure.}

10...Nxe4 11.Bxe4 Bxe5 12.dxe5 Qxd1 13.Raxd1

{Obviously, a lot of the pressure in the game has been released as a result of the massive exchange of pieces, but White still has a lead in development.}

13...Nd7 14.Bd4 b5??

{A blunder, losing two pawns and the Exchange.}

15.Bxc6 Rb8 16.Bxa7 Bb7 17.Bxb8

{Technically, I suppose, I should have taken the Knight on d7 and been a clean piece to the good, but I'm happy to relieve Black of one of his Rooks, which - if properly mobilized - might end up being more troublesome than the Knight.}

17...Bxc6 18.Bd6 Re8

{Now commences the search for the most efficient way to convert my advantage into a win.}

19.Rd4 Nb6 20.Rdf4 f5? 21.exf6 {e.p.} gxf6 22.Rxf6 Nd7 23.Rg6+ Kh7 24.Rg3 Nb6??

{Allowing mate in 2.}

25.Rf7+ Kh8 26.Be5+ {1-0}

Cheers...

Weird...

I managed to hit the ILS webcast of the Anik F3R launch at just the right time, about 5 minutes before liftoff. It's been about 20 minutes now, and everything is going well with the mission, but I'm noticing that (a) nobody was assigned to interpret the ascent announcements (something I did for all the campaigns I supported) and (b) the remarks of the Russian program manager were broadcast with no interpretation at all (though Jim Bonner, one of the two ILSers anchoring the webcast, summarized what was said afterward... still... Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot?).

The webcast is about to wrap up, and the mission will be complete about 9 hours from now.

Cheers...