Annotated Game #273: A bad run as Black

In our chess careers, sometimes we have extended "runs" (good ones with wins, or bad ones with losses) with the results for one color; with this tournament game, I managed to extend my Black run to five losses over multiple tournaments. It is relatively easy under those circumstances to start seriously questioning your repertoire choices, having an sinking feeling whenever you see a Black on the pairing chart, etc. Here the value of analyzing your own games and better understanding what is actually going on helps combat over-reactions.

Last seen in Annotated Game #262: An unhappy introduction to the Fantasy Variation, this opening is also sub-par for me, but not an unmitigated disaster. The key lesson from the early phase is the idea - also seen in my preferred answer to the Caro-Kann Advance variation - of using the ...c5 pawn lever against White's center. Unfortunately it's an idea that I completely missed - but will remember in the future.

Instead I make the strategic mistake on move 10 for going for a closed position, which resulted in an initiative for White and awkward cramping for myself, until I finally get some counterplay going with a b-pawn advance. I then get a bit lucky when my opponent misses a pin-related tactic on move 20, but mishandle the calculations. It's also notable that my thinking is too materialistic, a repeated observation I've had recently.

While my opponent was legitimately lower-rated, he was certainly much stronger than his actual rating - I would estimate high Class C / low Class B - and I give him props for fighting spirit after suffering a tactical blow, then taking full advantage of my blunders, with the game effectively over after the sequence starting on move 27.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class E"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B12"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "113"] {[%evp 0,113,19,36,77,74,60,14,44,34,22,-18,45,43,60,12,11,20,-1,3,9,-42,17,20,37,20,9,27,29,42,68,76,51,52,69,35,31,25,21,6,7,-38,-57,-16,-59,-46,57,59,51,9,-11,-5,-21,-72,100,55,136,145,133,136,113,110,138,137,158,145,140,138,150,130,137,100,203,213,217,217,217,217,247,218,218,218,208,203,212,159,159,159,159,118,124,110,120,110,133,133,138,144,229,233,233,133,133,125,196,133,133,125,469,516,1015,1016,1128,1353,1503,1020]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 g6 4. e5 Bg7 5. Bd3 Nh6 {this is useful in most lines of the Fantasy Variation with an advanced e-pawn, as the h6 square is the natural outlet for the knight.} (5... c5 $11 {is the key idea in this position, however, undermining the e5 pawn immediately while Black has a chance. This is similar to the 3...c5 approach in the Advance Variation.}) 6. Ne2 {a reasonable developing move.} Bf5 $6 {played with the idea of exchanging off Black's "bad" bishop. However, the placement is awkward and other moves are better for development.} (6... c5 {remains the best idea.}) (6... O-O) 7. Ng3 $6 {premature movement of the knight. White could have more immediately taken advantage of the situation on the kingside with a pawn thrust.} (7. g4 $5) (7. h4) 7... Bxd3 {now I get my exchanging idea in and the immediate danger passes.} 8. Qxd3 O-O $11 {the simple approach to equalizing.} (8... e6 {is also good here, along with the ...c5 idea.}) (8... f6 {challenging the head of the pawn chain should furthermore be considered.} 9. exf6 exf6 10. Qe2+ Kf7 {is actually slightly better for Black, as the king is perfectly safe on f7 and now ...Re8 is threatened.}) 9. O-O f6 10. f4 {naturally choosing to reinforce the e-pawn. Now would be a good time to get the queenside moving for Black, but I am too fixated on the advanced White pawns and have blind eye for the idea of the ...c5 break in this position.} f5 $6 {played to get a closed position, but Dragon 3.2 evaluates that as favorable for White, with the strong advanced e-pawn effectively hampering Black's coordination. It is very club player-esque to seek to reduce tension in the position when it is not needed, or as in this case unfavorable.} (10... c5 11. c3 (11. dxc5 fxe5 12. fxe5 e6 $15 {Black is temporarily a pawn down but with better central control and play coming. For example} 13. Bxh6 Bxh6 14. c4 Qc7 15. cxd5 Qxc5+ 16. Kh1 Rxf1+ 17. Qxf1 exd5 $17) 11... cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 $11) 11. Bd2 $16 Nd7 12. Bb4 $6 {this loses some time and space for White.} (12. h3 {cutting off the g4 square for the Nh6, which could be a future threat.}) (12. a4 {this or b4 would grab space and help stifle Black on the queenside.}) 12... a5 $14 {finally I actually start some counterplay on the queenside, but only after having been offered an obvious chance my opponent to hit the bishop with tempo.} 13. Ba3 b5 14. c3 Nb6 {this looks good visually, but it's better to have a rook for support on the b-file, or immediately break the pin on the e7 pawn.} (14... Re8 $5) 15. Nd2 Re8 (15... Nc4 $5 {immediately looks more to the point after my last move.}) 16. b3 $16 {a good prophylactic move by my opponent, limiting the reach of the Nc6.} Bf8 {I was torn between this and e6, which seems like a cleaner option. I am still cramped here.} 17. c4 $6 {this allows me to equalize now and gain activity, relieving the cramped position.} (17. Bc5 e6 18. Ne2 $16 {maintaining the tension, as} Bxc5 $6 19. dxc5 Nd7 20. b4 {simply increases White's positional stranglehold.}) 17... dxc4 18. bxc4 b4 $11 {shutting out the bishop and gaining further space.} 19. Bb2 (19. c5 $5) 19... e6 {solidifying control of d5. Suddenly White's center is looking weaker and I have made my own space gains.} 20. c5 $2 {this idea comes one move too late, as my opponent misses the tactic now available, thanks to the opening of the diagonal for the Bf8.} Bxc5 $17 {taking advantage of the pin on the d-pawn and surprising my opponent tactically. However, I thought carefully before going down this path.} (20... Nd5 {was the "strategic" alternative I considered, where I felt I had a positional advantage. However after} 21. Nc4 $16 {White appears to be doing quite well.}) 21. Rac1 Na4 (21... Bf8 {is simplest and best to secure a dynamic advantage, but I was too materialistic in my thinking.} 22. Rxc6 Nd5 $19 {and now Black can mobilize the advanced 2-1 queenside majority effectively, while blockading White's center.}) 22. Ba1 Nc3 $6 {in addition to the aforementioned ...Bf8 idea, other ideas also work just fine if Black wants to protect the c-pawn. Instead, I mishandle some relatively complex tactics - but so does my opponent.} (22... Rc8) (22... Qd5) 23. Bxc3 $14 bxc3 24. Nb3 $6 (24. Nf3 Bb4 25. Ne2 $14) 24... Bb4 $11 25. Ne2 c5 {so far, correctly calculated by me after White's 24th.} 26. Rfd1 $6 {a good idea in general, to protect the Qd3 and allow for dxc5. However, there is a tactical flaw...which I failed to spot.} a4 $2 (26... c4 $1 {is the sacrificial idea found by the engine, which allows the Nh6 to be reactivated with immediate threats. Later on I start thinking more desperately about how to get the sidelined knight back in the game, but could have done it now.} 27. Qxc4 Ng4 28. Qd3 {and now} a4 29. Na1 Qh4 $1 $19) (26... cxd4 $11 {would be safe and equal. I in fact calculated this and then misplayed the sequence, having gotten confused about which variation worked.}) 27. Nxc5 {I simply missed this. The Qd3 is now protected so the pin on the d4 pawn is gone, which I had previously observed during my calculations, but then forgot when it came time to make the decision on the board.} Qd5 $2 {another idea which would have been useful earlier, but here played too late. Now White is winning.} (27... Qa5 $1 $16 {I considered but not thoroughly enough. There is still a significant White advantage but perhaps not decisive, for example after} 28. h3 {preventing threats from the Nh6} (28. Nxc3 $6 Bxc5 29. dxc5 Qxc5+ $11) 28... Bxc5 29. dxc5 Qxc5+ 30. Kh2 Nf7 31. Rxc3 Qf2 $1 $14) 28. Nxc3 $18 Bxc3 29. Rxc3 Qxa2 30. Ra3 $18 {also missed this, but Black is losing in all variations now.} Qd5 31. Rxa4 Rab8 32. Qc4 {assures a winning endgame.} Qxc4 33. Rxc4 Ng4 {I resist as best I can, but White's extra d-pawn, space advantage and better piece coordination make it hopeless...unless there's a blunder.} 34. Rc3 Rb2 35. Rdc1 Rd2 36. h3 Nf2 37. R3c2 Rxc2 38. Rxc2 Nd1 39. Nd7 Re7 40. Nf6+ Kg7 41. Rc8 h5 42. Rg8+ Kf7 43. Rh8 Nc3 44. Rh7+ Kf8 45. Rxe7 Kxe7 46. Kf2 h4 47. Ke3 Kd8 48. Kd3 Na4 49. d5 exd5 50. Nxd5 $2 {this lets the Na4 back into the game.} (50. Kd4 $18) 50... Nc5+ 51. Kc4 Ne4 $4 {I saw that I might get a pawn back, but it's meaningless in the end.} (51... Ne6 $1 $11 {I don't know why I didn't consider this more, although of course fatigue and time pressure played its role, perhaps along with materialistic thinking. White cannot in fact make progress after this, for example} 52. Kb5 Kd7 53. Nf6+ Kc7 $11) 52. Nf6 Ng3 53. Kd5 Ne2 54. Kd6 Nxf4 55. e6 Nxe6 56. Kxe6 Kc7 57. Nd7 {and the Black pawns are helpless.} 1-0

Annotated Game #272: The power of the pawn lever

After a disappointing first round loss, I was set to fight back as White and was able to get a classic Stonewall Attack on the board, with the result living up to the opening's name. I'm still learning about the ins and outs of the position type, with the primary lesson from this game being the huge power of the e4 pawn lever when the conditions are right. This idea kept reappearing in analysis, including in a final version with a rook sacrifice. The main point is that White's pieces can be unleashed against an insufficiently defended Black kingside, so the sacrificed material is irrelevant. This is a common theme across similar openings, such as the Colle System, so is important to keep in mind, even early on.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D00"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "59"] 1. d4 d5 2. e3 {my opponent thought for a while here, evidently not familiar with the opening setup.} c6 3. Bd3 Nf6 4. Nd2 e6 5. f4 c5 {actually the best move according to the engines, but of course it's still a waste of a tempo moving the c-pawn twice. This is one of those chess opening paradoxes that it is best not to think too hard on.} 6. c3 {we now have the Stonewall Attack formation.} Be7 7. Ngf3 c4 {gaining space, but at the expense of lessening the central pressure on d4.} 8. Bc2 Nc6 9. O-O {castling is fine, but not the only option.} (9. e4 $5 {this pawn lever is a key idea which I did not fully examine, being a temporary pawn sacrifice.} dxe4 (9... Nxe4 {is similar after} 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Ne5 {and now} f5 $2 {loses to} 12. Qh5+) 10. Ne5 $16 {with the c4 pawn threatened, while Black's e4 pawn is indefensible.}) (9. Qe2 {is also a standard preparatory move for the e-pawn lever, both to project force along the e-file generally and to defend the e3 square in particular.}) 9... O-O (9... Ng4 {targeting the e3 square is something White players always need to look out for, although here it's not scary.} 10. Qe2 f5 {and now White has several good options, including the thematic Ne5 or simply h2-h3.}) 10. Ne5 Nd7 {clearing the way for the f-pawn to kick the Ne5, although this increases the level of cramping in Black's position.} 11. Rf3 $6 {this is premature. In addition to the idea of the e4 pawn lever, which was examined before, there are other useful moves.} (11. e4 {still looks best and most aggressive:} f5 (11... dxe4 $6 12. Bxe4 $1 {keeping the b1-h7 diagonal open for the attack is more important than getting the Nd2 centralized immediately, especially since it continues to pressure c4.} Ncxe5 (12... Qc7 13. Ndxc4 $18) 13. fxe5 f5 14. exf6 Nxf6 15. Bf3 $18 {this is essentially a positionally won game for White, whose pieces are all better with no real weaknesses, while Black has to cope with weak e- and c-pawns.}) 12. exf5 exf5 13. Nxd7 Bxd7 14. Qf3 Be6 15. Qh3 $16 {White has attacking possibilities on the kingside and e-files, While Black will struggle to find counterplay.}) (11. b3 {looking to provide an outlet for the dark-square bishop and pressure the c-pawn.}) (11. Ndf3 {giving White's minor pieces more space.}) 11... Ndxe5 $2 {this removes an attacking piece, but White's e5 pawn is very strong as a replacement on the square.} (11... f5 $1 $11 {blocking the attacking diagonal and preventing further f-pawn advances.}) 12. fxe5 $18 {visually it's not hard to see White's advantage, with most of his pieces pointing towards a bare Black kingside.} f6 (12... f5 {now this doesn't work to block the file.} 13. exf6 {followed by e4, after the recapture on f6.}) 13. Rh3 $16 {the pressure down the h-file is good enough for an advantage, but not optimal. White can effectively enter the above variation with} (13. exf6 Bxf6 14. e4 $1 $18 {unleashing the energy of White's pieces.}) 13... h6 14. Qg4 $14 {I have an edge with pressure on the kingside at this point, but still have not unblocked my pieces for development, especially the Nd2 and Bc1; these would all be helped by an e3-e4 pawn break. The other rook also needs to get into play. I thought here for a while and thought g4 would be a flexible place to develop the queen while making threats; h5 is perhaps better.} (14. Qh5 f5 15. Rg3 Bh4 16. Rg6 Ne7 17. Rxh6 gxh6 (17... Bf2+ 18. Kxf2 gxh6 19. Nf3 $16) 18. Qxh4 $16) 14... f5 (14... fxe5 {is preferred by the engine but would appear risky-looking over the board.} 15. Rxh6 Bg5 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Rh5 Bh6 18. Bc2 Qf6 {holds.}) 15. Qg3 $16 {maintaining the pin on the g-file and therefore threatening to capture on h6.} Kh8 {breaking the pin.} 16. Nf3 (16. Qg6 {I thought about and rejected because of} Qe8 {which just helps Black's queen move to the defense.} 17. Qg3 $16 {preserves the advantage, however.}) (16. e4 {I did not consider because it seems like just losing the pawn, but the engine prefers it due to the follow-up sacrifice on e4, unleashing White's pieces.} dxe4 $2 17. Nxe4 fxe4 18. Bxh6 $1 $18 {is the point, as the bishop now decisively enters the game.}) 16... Kh7 {covering the g6 and h6 squares, so the e4 sacrificial lever no longer works.} 17. Bd2 {I thought for a while here and judged it best to activate the Ra1.} Rg8 {now I became worried about Black pushing the g-pawn towards a pawn fork on g4.} 18. Qf2 {this is sufficient to keep the advantage.} (18. Re1 $1 {the engine spots a strong sacrifice on e4, again to unleash White's pieces. Moving the rook into the game would also be consistent with the previous move.} g5 19. e4 {now ...g4 is not possible, due to the Bd2 being unleashed against h6.} dxe4 (19... fxe4 20. Qg4 {exploiting the absence of the f-pawn to penetrate Black's kingside, while the Nf3 is protected tactially by the pin on the b1-h7 diagonal.} Bd7 21. Rxe4 $18 {and Black can't take on e4 without exposing his king.}) 20. Rxe4 $1 {the most important idea is to open the diagonal for the bishop.} fxe4 21. Qg4 $1 {the immediate bishop capture on e4 should also be good enough, but the queen's penetration into Black's camp after capturing on e4 cannot be denied.} Kg7 22. Qxe4 $18) 18... g5 {this looks very threatening, but actually loses.} 19. g4 $1 {the only move that keeps the advantage, which I spotted when deciding to play the previous one. The g-pawn is physically blocked from advancing, while the pin on the f-pawn is decisive.} Kg7 20. Qg2 $18 {lining up against the king, which sets up the follow-on tactic.} Bd7 {this is too slow, but other moves don't help much either. If the king tries to run away, the h-pawn hangs.} 21. Rf1 {bringing another piece into the attack before moving to break through.} (21. gxf5 {immediately is also possible and considered best by the engine.} exf5 22. Nh4 $18) 21... Qb6 22. gxf5 exf5 23. Nh4 $1 $18 {this evidently suprised my opponent. Now his position crumbles.} Qxb2 {desperately trying to distract from the kingside attack underway.} 24. Nxf5+ Bxf5 25. Bxf5 Raf8 26. Rg3 {simple and sufficient to win.} (26. Rhf3 $5) (26. Qxd5 {is the engine's choice, but much more complicated to see at the board.} Qxd2 27. Qe6 Rxf5 28. Rxf5 {with mate to follow, unless Black exchanges queen for rook, for example} Qd1+ 29. Rf1 Qxf1+ 30. Kxf1 $18) 26... Kh8 27. Qh3 $1 {now White has too many pieces against Black's thin defense.} Kg7 {my opponent showed surprise at the queen sac that now came.} 28. Qxh6+ $1 Kf7 29. Bd7+ {elegantly cutting off Black's escape at the same time a discovered check is given.} Bf6 30. Qxf6# 1-0

Annotated Game #271: Play what you know - or at least what your opponent does not

The first round of the next tournament I played featured a poor strategic choice on my part. I hadn't properly prepared the opening (a Caro-Kann Two Knights) so was afraid to enter into my own repertoire line. Instead, I chose to play the main line - having no real experience in it - and handed my opponent a big lead in development, positional plus and an early attack. My deficient understanding in the line was bad, but really the strategic opening decision was even worse, choosing something that logically my opponent would have more experience in, rather than "risking" entering into my own repertoire sideline, which it was much less likely my opponent would know, even if my memory was also faulty.

Showing the value of not giving up early, analysis identified where I objectively got back in the game (and could have even achieved counterplay, with some active choices). However, my opponent did not give up her attack either, and eventually broke through. A well-deserved win on her part.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B11"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "43"] {[%evp 0,43,28,43,66,57,57,28,63,37,29,33,46,15,44,44,64,56,49,49,45,29,16,-4,21,34,70,77,75,32,35,-20,4,13,13,13,29,23,89,-9,67,147,1096,325,1234,1171]} 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 {out of my own personal book here, but I had not prepared for the Two Knights variation and did not trust my normal choice of line without that.} 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. exd5 exd5 $6 {the start of my troubles.} (6... cxd5 {I was overly concerned about Bb5+, but after ...Nc6 there is nothing for White.}) 7. d4 Be7 {rather slow and passive development.} (7... Qf6 $5) 8. Bd3 $16 {now White is significantly ahead in development.} Nf6 9. Be3 Nbd7 $6 {this is too slow, as White is already ready to launch an attack if she wants.} (9... O-O) (9... Na6 {would at least threaten to go to b4.}) 10. Ne2 {this is also rather slow, although the idea of bringing the knight around to the kingside is ultimately useful.} O-O (10... Qa5+ $5 {would be a bit more active.}) 11. g4 {now my opponent decides to get active, although it would have been even more effective the previous move.} g6 $2 {this was played to block the diagonal against the Bd3, but otherwise worsens Black's position, creating a target for the coming pawn storm.} (11... Qa5+ 12. c3 Bd6 $14 {is more active and prevents O-O-O.}) 12. O-O-O $18 {now White is very well developed and has the obvious plan of a kingside pawn storm, while I have no meaningful counterplay.} Ne8 {after this White can just roll through.} (12... Nb6 $5 {at least trying to get another piece active, eyeing c4.}) 13. h4 Nd6 14. Bh6 $6 {this just slows things down for White, but was what I was expecting.} (14. h5) 14... Re8 15. g5 $6 $14 {at this point I felt that I had roughly equalized and Dragon 3.2 agrees. Locking in the Bh6 goes completely against what White needs to do on the kingside, contradicting the idea behind the pawn storm.} Rc8 $6 {this is too optimistic, I should have continued focusing on immediate defense.} (15... Bf8) 16. Rdg1 Ne4 $6 {I thought the interference on the diagonal would be more effective that it turned out to be. White avoids the trap of taking the knight and resumes her pawn storm.} (16... c5 $1 {would be consistent with the previous move.} 17. h5 c4 $11 {hitting the bishop just in time.}) 17. h5 (17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. Qxe4 $2 (18. Qh3 $14) 18... Bxg5+ 19. Bxg5 Rxe4 20. Bxd8 Rxd8 $17) 17... Nf8 $2 {poorly calculated on the defense. Protecting h7 is not enough.} (17... Bf8) 18. hxg6 fxg6 19. Nf4 $2 {now I can take on g5 with either piece, and choose the wrong one.} (19. Qg2 $18 {is best per the engine, but not so easy to find.}) (19. Bxe4 {maintains an edge, although is not necessarily decisive.} dxe4 20. Qh3 $16) 19... Nxg5 $4 (19... Bxg5 $1 $11 20. Bxg5 Nxg5 21. Qg2 Rc7 {and now if} 22. Qxg5 Re1+ $1 {a deflection tactic aimed at the Qg5, which I missed.} 23. Kd2 Qxg5 24. Rxg5 Rxh1 $19) 20. Qg4 $18 {The Ng5 is indefensible and now pinned against g6, with the threat of Bxf8 followed by taking on g6 to break through.} Nf7 21. Bxf8 Bxf8 22. Bxg6 1-0

Book completed - American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess Adventures

 

I recently completed American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess Adventures by GM Joel Benjamin. I had picked it up as a bargain used book from a dealer at chess tournament a while back, and finally decided to read it during lunchtime at work, my interest primarily being for daily annotated games review. It was not particularly well suited for this, however, as the majority of the actual chess content consisted of individual positions, game fragments, or complete scores but with only a couple comments included. There were enough games at a sufficient level of annotation to be worth going through, but this was a minority of it. If you are looking for something more comprehensive and challenging for annotated games but still with a personal perspective, My Best Games by Victor Korchnoi is world class, while GM Walter Browne's The Stress of Chess...and its Infinite Finesse is a much more detailed and improvement-oriented version of a chess career book with well-annotated games.

From my perspective, it seems the book tried to be multiple things, but was mostly a breezy and candid, but not quite a tell-all, recounting of GM Benjamin's chess career. This mostly consisted of complaints (and occasional praise) about tournament conditions, memories of poor treatment (or occasionally special experiences), and chess politics. The Deep Blue vs. Kasparov project got an interesting treatment and GM Benjamin's perspective was certainly unique, although the narrative was not exactly comprehensive. The book was published in 2007 but the focus was on Benjamin's junior and earlier career, really through the 1990s. As such, a lot of the references - especially to the politics and various failed professional associations - feel quite dated. If you weren't around the 1990s, therefore, it's probably not going to be particularly relevant.

Annotated Game #270: Learning the Slow Slav the hard way

This last-round tournament game is yet another example of the main lesson from Annotated Game #267: How openings are really learned. Here it's a Slow Slav that I had little depth on previously, but studying this game and looking at a couple database examples now have armed me much better for future clashes in the opening.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D12"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [PlyCount "55"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd3 Qc7 {targeting h2 and prompting White's next.} (8... Nbd7 {is the standard move here.}) 9. h3 Nbd7 10. Bd2 Be7 11. Rc1 O-O 12. O-O {up to this point, although we have not followed the full main line, play has been pretty standard as both sides develop. Now I have to start thinking for myself in the middlegame, without however having much experience with it.} a6 $5 {not a standard idea in this position, but not a bad one either. The point is to possibly prepare b5, while also serving as a waiting move.} (12... Rfd8) (12... Rac8) 13. Qf3 {increasing pressure on d5 and connecting the rooks.} Qd8 (13... dxc4 {is a common liquidation of the center at this stage.} 14. Bxc4 c5 {would be a standard follow-up.}) 14. cxd5 cxd5 $6 {this poor decision is the start of my problems. Opening the c-file is a bad idea, with White's rook already occupying it.} (14... exd5 $11) 15. e4 $6 {however, this is an overly aggressive reaction.} dxe4 {the correct response.} 16. Nxe4 b5 {I saw White's next move, but did not handle it properly.} 17. Rc6 Nb8 $6 {this contributes to the cramping of Black's position and un-develops a good piece.} (17... Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Nf6 $11) 18. Rc2 $14 Nbd7 19. Rfc1 {now the c-file is a much more obvious problem. Essentially I have done nothing in the last few moves while my opponent has managed to double his rooks on the only open file on the board.} Nd5 {best chance to keep things together, centralizing the knight in front of the isolated queen pawn.} 20. Nc5 {the best choice to keep up the pressure. The defense becomes more complex now and I falter.} Bf6 $6 {this pressures d4 but underestimates White's attacking potential.} (20... Bxc5 {I considered this but obviously did not like the creation of a strong passed pawn. However, it should be containable.} 21. dxc5 Ne5 $1 $14 {and the knight can blockade on c6 or exchange off the Bd3, both of which would be helpful.}) 21. Qg4 {now sacrifices on e6 and g6 are in the air.} Nxc5 22. Rxc5 $6 {this lets up the pressure.} (22. dxc5 $16 {the Nd5 is not in as good a position to blockade the c-pawn, plus White's two bishops look dangerous.}) 22... Be7 $11 {enough for equality.} (22... Ne7 {is better, thereby guarding c6 and c8 and g6, while jumping to f5 later would also be good.}) 23. Rc6 Bb4 {not wrong, but it betrays my lack of understanding of the need to keep pieces available to defend the kingside.} (23... Bf6) 24. Bg5 Qa5 $2 {the losing move. Now White unleashes a breakthrough sacrifice.} (24... Be7 $11) 25. Rxe6 {now I realize that I'm simply lost, so try a desperation shot at counterplay.} Qxa2 26. Rxg6 Qxb2 27. Rxg7+ Kxg7 28. Be7+ 1-0