Our top player's Round 1 game.

Our 4.5 game winner faced the Caro-Kann defense in the first round. Two very good players.
1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 (d4 is recommended) d5 Black is trying to exchange her c-pawn for our e-pawn
Click here for a good Caro-Kahn video
3. Bd3 dxe4 4. Bxe4 Nf6 (developing and attacking) 5. Nc3 (developing and defending) Nxe4 6. Nxe4 Bf5 7. Ng5 (a precarious place for the knight - I prefer g3) e6 8. 0-0 Bg4

What's the best move? a) d3 b) Qe2 c) Ne5
The correct answer is d3 guarding the unguarded g5 knight with our bishop.
I said "unguarded" because our knight on g5 is no longer protected. Do you see why?
The knight on f3 is pinned to our queen. Her queen could take our knight, we'd take her queen, but she'd get our queen. Our player made the mistake 9. Qe2?? Qxg5! 10. Qe4 Bxf3 11. Qxf3  Qg6 12. d3 Nd7 13. Qf4 Qf6 14. Qe4 Ba3?! What in the world? Is there a catch?

What's best? a) bxa3 b) Rb1 c) Bg5
Of course there was a catch - good player's don't give away bishops for nothing! Rb1 is best, and though Bg5 is interesting, I think we come out a pawn down after Qxb2 or even if Qxg5 bxa3
The game continued 15. bxa3? Qxa1 And now I think our player had a chance at a comeback.
Do you see the trap he could easily set?

16. Qb4! Sets two traps, so even if he sees one he might not see the other. If he defends b7, we play Bg5 threatening the queen and checkmate. The only good reply is if she plays 0-0-0 getting out of mate and protecting b7. But we have a few more surprises.
Surprise #1: Qa5 Now if her queen does not move once again we play Bf4 threatening both mate and RxQ. If she plays Qxa2, we can play Qxa7 with fighting chances for a mate on b8 with Q and B or mate on b7 with Q and R.
Surprise #2: Qb3 threatens Bb2 trapping the queen!
Surprise #3 c4 threatens Bb2 Qxa2 Ra1 trapping her majesty once again!
Unfortunately there are good ways out of all these traps, but at this stage of the game, we've got to try for something a little sneaky.
 Our player continued from the diagram above with 16. Qg4 Qxa2 17. Qxg5 (although the pawn looks free it comes at the cost of opening up the g-file for her rooks.) Rf8 18. Qd4 Qd5 19. Qb4 Qb5 20. Qh4 (he wisely refuses to trade queens) Qf5 21. g4 Qg6 22. g5 f6 23. Qg4 e5 24. Qe6+ Kd8 25. Qd6 fxg5 26. Qb4 b6 27. Qg4 Qf5 28. Bxg5+ Kc8 29. Qg2 Rg8 30. Qxc6+ Kb8 31. h4 Qg4+ 32. Qg2 Qxg2 33. Kxg2 h6 and it's over.

SUMMARY
Notice that 18 of white's last 25 moves were with the Queen. He never got his bishop and rook into the action. Isolated threats do no good. You threaten a pawn, she guards it. You threaten a bishop she moves it. To get good double threats going usually requires two or three pieces working together.