Annotated Game #339: How about that a-file

This final-round tournament game followed a common trajectory in the Colle, as I managed to seize on an inaccuracy in an otherwise equal position to put a lot of pressure on Black. I completely miss a Nxf7 sac possibility, pointed out by the engine, but establish a second-best winning positional advantage. Unfortunately I misplay things on the open a-file, giving Black perhaps even a small advantage. After that, a somewhat over-optimistic last shot at active play peters out into a legitimate draw. I was nonetheless pleased with the overall level of play and the result against a higher-rated player, capping a positive tournament result for the first time in a while.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D05"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "69"] [GameId "2268222679466048"] {[%evp 0,69,10,38,17,23,32,5,14,9,8,0,9,7,16,4,21,26,10,11,18,7,13,-1,-18,0,17,46,51,23,54,-16,3,117,42,186,41,5,172,124,195,84,153,25,86,182,212,196,12,78,71,7,-88,0,9,-63,-73,-70,4,-27,-30,-82,-64,87,-1,-28,54,-1,1,-26,-1,-51]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e3 {a safe choice.} (3. d5 {is the more principled reply, taking advantage of Black's pawn advance, and scores much better in the database than any other move.}) 3... e6 4. Bd3 d5 {now we are back in the main line Colle, via transposition.} 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 a6 {this seems like one pawn move too many, as development is not advanced enough for Black.} 7. a4 $14 {prophylaxis, aimed at contesting any b-pawn advance.} g6 {this is inconsistent with the earlier e7-e6 advance, since the bishop does not need an extra tempo to develop. That said, if Black is more comfortable playing the position with a fianchettoed bishop, then it is not necessarily a bad choice.} 8. Nbd2 Bg7 9. O-O b6 {The light-square bishop needs to be developed somehow.} 10. Ne5 {not the only good choice of strategy here.} (10. a5 {looks to disrupt Black's queenside. Accepting the pawn leads to trouble after} bxa5 11. Ra2 {followed by Qa1 with pressure against Black's fractured structure.}) (10. e4 $5 {would be the classic Colle pawn lever}) 10... Qc7 11. f4 {now we have the classic Stonewall/Colle attack structure.} O-O 12. c3 {this commits fully to a Stonewall structure, which is safer but less dynamic. Developing the queen would be more flexible.} (12. Qe2) (12. Qe1) 12... Rb8 {removing a defender of the a6 pawn, making it easy to choose my next move.} 13. Qe2 {creating the Q+B battery and connecting the rooks.} Qb7 {it's common to try and justify one's previous less-than-optimal move, which my opponent does here by misplacing her queen to protect the a-pawn.} (13... Ra8 {simply returning the rook to its original square is a bit galling, but best.}) 14. Ndf3 {I thought for a while here. This is not bad, but does not press White's small advantage.} (14. g4 {would start up the standard Stonewall attack on the kingside, targeting the Nf6. I rejected it at the time, thinking it would be too stereotypical.}) (14. Ba3 $5 {would get the bishop off the b-file, where it could be a target, and on to a much more useful diagonal.}) 14... b5 15. Rfb1 {protecting the Bb2 again and opposing the rook to Black's queen.} c4 {Black now seizes some space while keeping the queenside structure intact, thereby equalizing.} 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. Bc2 $11 Nd5 {this was unexpected, for whatever reason, but both looks good and is good.} 18. Qd2 {overprotecting c3.} Qc7 $2 {a good idea to place the queen here, but executed prematurely.} (18... Nxe5 19. Nxe5 f6 20. Nf3 Qc7 $11 {here the e3-e4 pawn lever is not available, as the f4 pawn would hang.}) 19. e4 $1 {this was easy to find, since it seizes space with tempo.} N5f6 20. Ba3 $18 {I felt this resulted in a decisive advantage, which the engine verifies.} Rd8 21. axb5 (21. Nxf7 $1 {is even better, but this sacrifice was not even on my radar.} Kxf7 22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Nxe6 Qb6 24. Nxd8 Qxd8 25. e5 $18) 21... axb5 22. Bb4 {positionally Black is lost on the queenside, without control of the a-file and with the backwards b-pawn a liability.} Qb7 23. Qe1 {a "small" move, but best. The idea is to redeploy the queen to the kingside and combine with the knight to attack.} Nxe5 24. Nxe5 $6 {this gives away most of the advantage, as I divert my knight from the best attacking square (g5) while also leaving Black's defending knight in place on f6. The Ne5's centralization looks good, but is not useful enough to compensate.} (24. fxe5 $18) 24... Bd7 $14 25. Nxd7 $6 {now we are back to equality. The knight was still superior to the bishop.} Qxd7 $11 26. Ra2 Ra8 27. Rba1 $6 {natural-looking but mistaken, as Black's potential activity on the a-file now outweighs White's.} (27. Rab2 $5 {doubling the potential pressure on the b-file, while not allowing Black to threaten to enter into my position on the a-file.}) 27... Rxa2 28. Rxa2 Nh5 (28... Bf8 {played immediately would activate the bishop to better effect.}) 29. Bc5 {played after a long think, and a little over-optimistic. My opponent in response thought for a while, then did not go for the critical line accepting the pawn sac.} (29. g3 {would be the simplest way to consolidate and maintain equality.}) 29... Bf8 (29... Nxf4 30. g3 Nd3 31. Bxd3 cxd3 32. Qe3 $11) 30. Ra7 $6 {the point of the previous move in my thinking. However, after the essentially forced bishop exchange, it has less of a point.} (30. Bxf8 $11) 30... Qe8 31. Bxf8 Kxf8 32. g3 {unfortunately none of the attacking moves (Qh4 etc.) do anything for White, so I end up consolidating the equal position.} Ra8 33. Qa1 Rxa7 34. Qxa7 Nf6 35. Qc5+ {we were both relatively low on time and recognized that the position was equal, with no progress likely, so a draw was agreed.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #338: A queen ending, or a comedy of errors

I should have drawn the following tournament game, an Exchange Caro-Kann, at multiple points. However, my opponent pressed effectively and induced errors on the defense, ending up with what should have been a won queen ending (after it was very much a drawn queen ending). A comedy of errors then ensued, with a draw at the end - which was the right outcome from my perspective, even if wrongly achieved. Still, "drawing ugly" is almost as good as "winning ugly". The overwhelming importance of queen activity, especially versus a bare king, is a major takeaway from examining the ending.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B13"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "172"] [GameId "2271414718922553"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 {the Exchange Variation has become quite popular again.} Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 {an alternative to the standard Bf4, it prevents ...Bg4, which is a key move in the main line for Black.} g6 {supporting the alternate way to develop the light-square bishop, to f5.} (6... Qc7 {defers the bishop development and prevents Bf4. This position is often reached via transposition, with ...Qc7 having been played earlier on move 5.}) (6... e5 $5 {is the principled response and the engine favorite, taking advantage of the absence of a Bf4 for White to break in the center.} 7. dxe5 Nxe5 $11 {Black in exchange for an isolated queen's pawn is more active and will either gain a tempo on the Bd3 or can exchange it to obtain the two bishops.}) 7. Nf3 Bf5 8. Bxf5 {the critical line, creating a significant structural imbalance.} gxf5 9. Bf4 e6 $11 {this is perfectly viable, but it runs into some unfamiliar awkwardness after White's next move.} (9... Rg8 {is more direct and comes with tempo, forcing White to defend the g-pawn. I think this is also a better practical move-order, since Black wants to play this anyway.}) 10. Qb3 Qd7 $6 {the problem with this is White's next move.} (10... Qb6 {reduces the amount of threats White can make, as Black can now exchange queens if needed.}) 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 {this awkward pin would not be an issue with the rook on g8.} Be7 13. Nd2 {White has a slight advantage, as her pieces coordinate better, but Black is solid enough after} Rg8 14. Rg1 $6 {this allows me to improve my position, but I do not assess the middlegame properly.} Rc8 {this does not hurt, but it does not particularly help me accomplish anything, either.} (14... Ne4 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. O-O-O f6 17. Bf4 O-O-O $11) 15. f3 {clearly intending to ram through g2-g4, but I miscalculate the response.} Nh5 $6 {unfortunately this is one of the worse options.} (15... h5 {is the most obvious reaction.} 16. g4 hxg4 17. hxg4 fxg4 18. fxg4 Nxg4 $11 {and the knight is pinned against the Rg8, but White cannot exploit this.}) (15... Qc6 {is more subtle.} 16. g4 fxg4 17. fxg4 Rg6 $11) (15... b5 $5 $11 {starts immediate counterplay, with ...b4 as a viable pawn sacrifice to open up lines for Black's pieces (the c-file and the e8-a3 diagonal).}) 16. g4 $14 Bh4+ $6 {this was played with no calculation of White's response, on the assumption that a check is always good.} (16... f6 {is awkward, but defends well enough.} 17. Bh2 Ng7 $14) 17. Ke2 f6 $2 (17... Ng7 $14 {is still possible, if a bit worse than before.}) 18. gxh5 Rxg1 19. Rxg1 $16 fxe5 20. dxe5 $16 {now White is a pawn up and I have no compensation, in fact White is also positionally better with the rook occupying the g-file.} Kf7 {I thought for a while here. This is the only move that keeps Black in the game, as the king helps control the g-file.} 21. f4 Rg8 22. Rxg8 {the best option, as the g-file cannot be kept under control.} Kxg8 23. Nf3 Bd8 $2 {I thought about retreating to both d8 and e7 and did not find much to choose between them, so picked what I thought was more flexible. However, White can now take advantage of this with her next move.} (23... Be7 24. h6 Bf8 $16) 24. h6 $18 Kf7 {staying in the corner seemed like a bad idea.} 25. Qa3 $2 {time pressure was starting to take its toll here. Incredibly, Black can now equalize with the active} Qb5+ $1 26. Kf2 Bb6+ $11 {White's extra doubled h-pawn is meaningless now, with Black's better piece activity.} 27. Nd4 Bc5 (27... Bxd4+ {immediately would have been a simpler way to draw, preventing any future N+Q combinations.} 28. cxd4 Qc4 $11) 28. b4 {unexpected, but it encourages me to play the good move} Bxd4+ 29. cxd4 Qc4 30. Qb2 $2 {here begins the queen ending comedy of errors, as highlighted by the engine.} b5 $6 {unambitiously (and uninspiredly) played to secure the draw, which it should have done.} (30... Qd3 $19 {and White has too many weaknesses, with the king and queen split too far from each other to cooperate; this makes them vulnerable to a skewer tactic from Black's queen. The immediate threat is to the h3 pawn, while the d4 pawn still needs to be guarded as well.}) 31. Qd2 a6 32. Kg2 Qc8 {this still draws, but the restriction of the queen's scope is not a good way to play.} (32... Kg6 $11 {keeps the Black queen threatening White's back ranks.}) 33. Qe2 Qg8+ 34. Kh2 Qg6 35. Qc2 Qxh6 36. Qc7+ Kg8 37. Qc8+ Kf7 {while this is all very annoying, White does not have a way to make progress.} 38. Qc1 Qf8 39. a3 Qe7 40. Kg3 h5 {this still draws, but again there are simpler ways.} (40... Kg6 $11) (40... Kg7 $11) 41. Qd1 h4+ 42. Kf2 Kg6 43. Qg1+ Kh6 $6 {unfortunately I miss how annoying White's next move can be.} (43... Kh7) 44. Qg8 Kh5 $6 (44... Qg7 $1 {and the K+P ending is still drawn, thanks to the closed pawn structure.} 45. Qxe6+ Qg6 46. Qxg6+ Kxg6 $11) 45. Ke2 Kh6 46. Kd2 Kh5 (46... Qd7 {is possible, as} 47. Qg5+ Kh7 48. Qxh4+ Kg7 $11 {and White's queen alone cannot make progress with the h-pawn.}) 47. Qh8+ Kg6 48. Qc8 a5 $2 {played in desperation under time pressure, as I thought White's queen would just keep scooping up pawns otherwise.} (48... Kh6 49. Qxa6 Qe8 $11 {holds, for example after} 50. a4 Qg6 {and again going after White's vulnerable king is the solution.}) 49. bxa5 $18 Kf7 {protecting the e-pawn.} 50. Qc5 Qb7 51. Qb6 Qe7 52. Qxb5 Qxa3 {of course I am still losing, but now have a practical chance of doing something active with my queen...eventually.} 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. Qxe6+ Kh8 55. Qh6+ Kg8 56. Qg5+ Kh8 57. Qxh4+ Kg8 58. Qd8+ Kh7 59. Qc7+ Kh8 60. Qc3 Qa2+ 61. Kc1 Qf2 62. Qd2 {now it's my turn to be annoying.} Qf1+ 63. Kb2 Qb5+ 64. Ka3 Qb1 65. Ka4 Qa1+ 66. Kb5 Qf1+ 67. Kb6 Qb1+ 68. Ka6 Qb8 69. Qc3 Qa8+ 70. Kb5 Qb7+ 71. Ka4 Qd7+ 72. Ka3 Qb5 73. Qc8+ {here we go again.} Kg7 74. Qc7+ Kg8 75. Qd8+ Kg7 76. Qe7+ Kg8 77. Qe6+ Kg7 78. Qf6+ Kg8 79. Qxf5 Qxa5+ {my turn again.} 80. Kb2 $6 Qb5+ $6 (80... Qd2+ {would keep more of an open field between the Black queen and White king.} 81. Kb3 Qxd4 82. Qc8+ $18) 81. Kc1 Qc4+ 82. Kd1 Qxd4+ 83. Ke1 $2 {now I knew I could draw.} (83. Ke2 $18 {and the king can head for g4, while the e-pawn threatens to advance.}) 83... Qe3+ $1 $11 84. Kd1 Qd4+ $2 (84... d4 $1) 85. Kc2 $6 {going the wrong way.} (85. Ke2 $1 $18) 85... Qc4+ $2 {the problem is that the king could still head back to the kingside and run away from here.} (85... Qe3 $11 {gives up the checking crown to White, but permanently cuts off the White king from shelter.}) 86. Kb2 Qb4+ $2 {same problem as before, if the king runs back towards f3/g4, but neither I nor my opponent realize this, and a draw is agreed with my opponent coming near to flagging.} (86... Qe2+ $11) (86... Qd4+ $11) 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #337: Winning less ugly

One of the truths of chess - that we sometimes overlook - is that for us to win, our opponent has to make a mistake; winning is therefore not simply attributable to our brilliance. Normally both sides make significant mistakes, hence Lasker's published observation (also attributed to Tartakower) "The winner of a game of chess is he who makes the last mistake but one."

In this next tournament game, if the result is perhaps not due to brilliant thought, I can at least say that I won less ugly than in Annotated Game #336. I make the strategic error of exchanging queens in the early middlegame, which erased my small advantage, but shortly afterwards I was able to induce a blunder of a pawn by my opponent. For the rest of the game, although we both could have improved our play, there were no huge mistakes and I convert the endgame in a solid fashion.

When you know you have a winning advantage (but not yet a won game), whatever way you can find at the board to successfully realize it is the best path. Engines will of course point out other moves, which normally are considered "better" simply because they win faster. However, there are no bonus points for finishing earlier. Here I again follow NM Dan Heisman's excellent practical advice to "go to sleep" in the endgame when winning, which means taking care to cover your weaknesses and deny your opponent counterplay, only then focusing on calculating the necessary winning breakthrough. If your advantage is structural, then you can afford to do this, and not spend precious energy trying to calculate complex variations, which have the potential to go awry.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D04"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "103"] [GameId "2271414718922552"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nh4 Bg6 5. Nxg6 {this is the point of White's opening play, to exchange knight for bishop.} hxg6 6. c4 {challenging d5 while gaining space for White's now-unopposed light-square bishop.} e6 (6... c6 {is much more popular here, for whatever reason. The engine considers them equivalent.}) 7. g3 {the bishop is intended to eventually go to g2, so I decided to start the process early. This is fine, but since the queen could generate some early pressure from b3 in the absence of Black's light-square bishop, it might be best to see it develop there first, after exchanging pawns on d5.} (7. Nc3 {is the only move played in the small sample of database games.}) (7. cxd5 exd5 8. Qb3 Qc8 $14) 7... Be7 (7... c5 $11 {would be more challenging, taking advantage of White's slower approach.}) 8. Bg2 $14 c6 9. Qb3 Qb6 {the direct option. Black correctly is not concerned about doubled b-pawns after an exchange of queens, as this would give him the half-open a-file, along with contesting control of c5.} 10. Nc3 $11 {choosing to maintain the tension.} (10. Qc2 $5 $14 {also would avoid exchanging, while arguing that Black's queen is now doing less on b6 than White's queen on c2.}) 10... Nbd7 11. O-O O-O-O $6 {the Black king is certainly not safer on the queenside, so I expected my opponent did this based on a more aggressive desire to launch operations on the kingside.} 12. cxd5 $16 {thought for a while here, eventually deciding that opening up the c-file can't help but be good, given Black's king position.} exd5 13. Bd2 $6 (13. Qc2 $5 $16 {according to the engine, it is now best to preserve the queens; on general principle, this is best when looking to take advantage of an opponent's relatively weaker king position. The queen on c2 is certainly well-placed and Rb1 would be a strong follow-up.}) 13... Kb8 {my opponent also chooses to preserve the tension.} (13... Qxb3 14. axb3 a6 $11 {White, lacking a queen and with doubled b-pawns, is not going to be able to crack the Black defenses.}) 14. Qxb6 $6 {a strategic error, as noted above, although at least my pawn structure is preserved.} Nxb6 $11 15. b3 {most importantly, this covers c4 and prevents the Black knight from landing there.} Bd6 $6 {this seemed a bit of a waste of a tempo.} 16. a4 $14 {while the pawn advance gives up the b4 square, it is the most dynamic option on the queenside, and ends up provoking Black's next move.} a5 $2 {this natural-looking move to prevent a further White a-pawn advance is a critical error, blundering a pawn and fatally undermining the queenside. My opponent had not seen the idea of the backwards knight move} 17. Na2 Nbd7 18. Bxa5 $18 {White is now comfortably winning, with the two bishops and an extra pawn as the endgame approaches. Black has little counterplay, but there is a still a long way to go before I will have an actually won game.} b6 19. Bc3 (19. Bb4 {I also considered, but wanted to avoid} c5 {However, after} 20. Bc3 {White is doing quite well, as further exchanges on d4 or c5 will simplify the situation and enhance the structural advantage on the queenside.}) 19... Kb7 20. Rfc1 {activating the rook before commencing any other operations on the queenside.} Rde8 21. Be1 {I thought for a while here and found nothing better, although Bb4 was still an option. The idea is to get out of the way of the Rc1 and Na2, while maintaining the two bishops.} c5 $2 {as noted above, simplifications will only help White. I use a tempo to get my knight back into action.} 22. Nc3 {pressuring d5} Rh5 {I did not see this defensive move, but the rook is awkwardly placed. I also find the best follow-up with} 23. Nb5 {an excellent outpost square} Bb8 24. b4 {now a breakthrough of some sort is assured.} cxb4 (24... c4 $2 25. Rxc4 {exploiting the pin on the long diagonal.}) 25. Bxb4 Re6 {defending the key d6 square.} 26. Rc2 {looking to double rooks on either the c-file or a-file, staying flexible.} Rc6 27. Rxc6 {this gains a tempo, instead of continuing the doubling plan, as I would have expected Black was to take on c2.} Kxc6 28. Rc1+ Kb7 29. Nd6+ Bxd6 {otherwise the f7 pawn goes.} 30. Bxd6 {Black temporarily has prevented further material loss, but the two bishops will dominate Black's two knights in the endgame.} Ne8 31. Bb4 (31. g4 $5 {I did not consider here.} Rg5 32. Bg3 {and now the g4 pawn is poisoned after} Rxg4 $2 33. Bxd5+ Ka6 34. Rc8 {and Black loses material.}) (31. Bf4 {would be a more active retreat square, given that} g5 $2 {is met by} 32. Bxd5+) 31... Nef6 32. Bf1 {I decided it was time to redeploy the bishop, given that the d5 pawn was over-protected.} Rh8 33. Bb5 {the two bishops are cooperating well now. My opponent was down to just a few minutes on the clock before the time control by this point.} Nb8 34. Kg2 Nfd7 35. h4 {I decided to go with solid, consolidating moves rather than try for too much. This made it a bit easier for my opponent to make the time control, but I was confident I could win the resulting position.} Rc8 36. Rxc8 Kxc8 37. Kf3 {the idea is to get the king into the action and eventually pressure d5.} Kc7 38. g4 Nc6 39. Ba3 {I do not want to trade any pieces, given how well my two bishops work together.} f6 40. Kf4 (40. Bxc6 {the engine is happy to cash in the two bishops for an advantage in the center.} Kxc6 41. e4 $18 {and White will soon have a passed d-pawn.}) 40... Nd8 41. Kg3 (41. e4 {is already possible, but I continued to play solidly and keep my opponent away from any counterplay.} dxe4 42. Kxe4 $18) 41... Ne6 42. Bd3 {targeting the weak doubled pawns.} g5 43. hxg5 (43. h5 $5) 43... fxg5 44. Bf5 Ndf8 45. Kf3 (45. f4 $5 {I considered; it is objectively stronger, but I was focused on getting my king more centralized.}) 45... g6 46. Bb1 Kd7 47. Ke2 Kc6 48. Kd3 Nd7 49. f3 {still playing solidly to consolidate my position, before making a decisive break.} Ndf8 50. Kc3 {now the king is protecting the d4 pawn while opening the Bb1's main diagonal.} Kd7 51. Ba2 {Black cannot cover all of his weaknesses now.} Kc6 52. e4 {and my opponent resigned, as d5 falls.} 1-0

Chess as part of lifetime cognitive enrichment

A recent study published in Neurology - read the abstract here - has been highlighted in the press, including in this Washington Post article. The general conclusion, from the abstract:

Lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment was related to lower risk of AD dementia and a slower rate of cognitive decline, including after adjustment for common ADRD pathologies, indicating higher resilience provided by lifetime enrichment. Our results suggest that cognitive health in later life is in part the product of lifetime exposure to cognitive enrichment.

An excerpt from expert commentary in the WaPo article, which also cited some other recent studies in the area:

The findings nod to the concept of “cognitive reserve”— the idea, popularized by Columbia University neuropsychologist Yaakov Stern, that the brain can adapt to damage or aging by relying on alternative networks or strategies. The theory is that mentally demanding activities over a lifetime may strengthen neural connections, giving the brain more flexibility to compensate.

The Neurology study apparently cited chess as particularly impactful among older people, although practicing it as a complex skill - similar to playing a musical instrument or learning a foreign language - has value in exercising your cognitive functions at any stage of life. What all these practices have in common is the requirement for "effortful study" to both improve and maintain a higher level of performance.

While the intrinsic motivation to excel at something you enjoy doing is probably the most powerful impulse for chess improvement, it is certainly good to have more indications that positive brain health outcomes are also associated with it.

Annotated Game #336: Breaking the streak

Winning ugly is better than not winning at all, as this round 2 tournament game shows. I hadn't won a game in a while, after a frankly miserable previous tournament, so I took what I could get here. The opening was a solid success, in response to my opponent's early deviation from theory. My Slav formation as Black was fine, but I missed opportunities for more active piece play, including misplaying things with my light-square bishop. My opponent got some pressure and both of us missed a winning "removal of the guard" tactic in the early endgame. However, after that I played much more actively and obtained successful counterplay - enough for equality. I could tell my opponent still wanted very much to win, however, and he ended up over-pressing and blundered while under major time pressure.

While my play had some holes, I'll give myself credit for mental toughness after blundering and almost losing, to then up my level of play and press back against my opponent in a correct assessment of the position. Had he accepted that it was a draw, he wouldn't have lost, but the over-pressing phenomenon is one way I've beaten a number of higher-rated players over the years.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class A"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "A12"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [BlackFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "82"] [GameId "2267422749081693"] 1. c4 c6 2. b3 {an independent way to proceed, for sure.} d5 3. Bb2 Nf6 {I certainly would not mind having the knight exchanged on f6, for White's excellent bishop.} 4. g3 Bf5 {Black now has a standard Slav setup and is equal.} 5. d3 e6 (5... d4 $5 {followed by ...e5 would more assertively claim the center.}) 6. Bg2 Be7 7. Nf3 Nbd7 (7... h6 $5 {immediately also looks good, preserving the bishop in the event of Nh4.}) 8. O-O O-O 9. Nbd2 h6 10. Re1 Qb6 {long think here about what to do. Black has nothing forcing and is in no hurry to resolve the central pawn tension. The text move gets the queen to a more active square and connects my rooks.} (10... a5 $5) (10... Bh7) 11. e4 $6 {this forces the issue in the center, but not to White's benefit.} dxe4 12. dxe4 Bg4 {this is OK for Black, but the pin is meaningless.} (12... Bh7 $5 $15 {would remove the bishop as a target and keep up the pressure on the h7-b1 diagonal.}) 13. e5 Nh7 {this is actually the best move, per the engine, although it looks like a passive retreat. The knight does not get in the way of my other pieces and can re-emerge relatively easily via g5 or potentially f8 after the rook moves.} 14. Ne4 Rad8 {activating the rook and lining up against the queen, threatening a discovered attack.} 15. Qc2 Bxf3 $6 {while the general idea of trading minor pieces is good, this is not the best choice. The bishop still has plenty of life in it, and the Nf3 was not a superior piece.} (15... Bf5 {moves the bishop to a more effective diagonal.} 16. Nh4 Bxh4 17. gxh4 Nc5 $11) (15... Nc5 16. Nd6 (16. Ned2 $2 Nd3 $19 (16... Bf5)) 16... Bxd6 17. exd6 Rxd6 {and White has compensation for the pawn, with open lines for the queen, bishop and rooks, but Black is fine.}) 16. Bxf3 c5 $2 {long think, wrong think. The c5 square is taken away from Black's pieces, with no real upside. Other moves would improve piece activity.} (16... Qc7 {dropping the queen back to pressure e5 looks simplest and best.}) (16... Nc5) (16... Ng5) 17. Rad1 $16 Nb8 {this is best, according to the engine, but still a significant plus for White. The knight has to get active via a roundabout route.} 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Qc7 $6 {this should have been played earlier; here it just wastes a tempo.} (19... Ng5 {reactivates the knight to good effect.} 20. Nxg5 (20. Rxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 20... Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 hxg5 $11) 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 $14 21. Qd1 b6 $6 {this lets White exchange and displace the bishop.} (21... Qxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Nc6 $14) 22. Qxd8+ Bxd8 23. Nd6 Bc7 $4 {both my opponent and I were in some time pressure already here, and I did not see the potential winning tactic for White yet.} (23... Nf8 {is better on principle in any case, getting the piece into the fight via g6 or d7 by targeting the e-pawn.}) 24. Nb5 $1 $18 Na6 25. Nxa7 $6 {my opponent misses the tactic as well, being fixated on the loose pawn.} (25. Bb7 $1 $18 {I spotted this "removal of the guard" themed tactic shortly after I moved.}) 25... Nb4 $1 {White still has an advantage, but finally I get some counterplay.} 26. Nb5 $16 Bb8 27. Be2 $6 {at this point my opponent was moving quickly, to gain clock time.} (27. a4 $16) 27... Nxa2 $11 {material and positional equality are now restored.} 28. f4 Nf8 {naturally I want to reactivate my knight, although other decent options are available.} (28... f6) (28... Nb4) 29. Kg2 Nd7 30. Kf3 Kf8 31. h4 {around here I got the impression my opponent was still very interested in trying to win, but the position does not support that.} Nb4 32. h5 Ke7 33. g4 f6 {this seemed the most straightforward way to defend, restraining g4-g5.} 34. Ke4 fxe5 35. g5 $6 {trying too hard to win.} Nc6 {the knight had been admirably restraining White's light-square bishop from going to d3 on its previous square, but I thought it could now be shifted to the central action on e5. I preferred that to snagging the f4 pawn, which would have resulted in more complications.} (35... exf4 $5 36. Bxg7 hxg5 37. h6 Nf6+ 38. Bxf6+ Kxf6 39. Bh5 Nc6 40. Nc3 $17 {is the engine line.}) 36. gxh6 gxh6 37. Bc1 $2 {my opponent was very low on time by this point.} (37. fxe5 Ncxe5 $11) 37... Nf6+ $17 38. Kd3 $2 (38. Kf3 Nxh5 $17) 38... exf4 $17 {now I am two pawns up and have a won endgame.} 39. Bf3 {this hastens the process.} Ne5+ 40. Ke2 Nxf3 41. Kxf3 Nxh5 $19 0-1