This next first-round tournament game was useful for my study of the Caro-Kann Exchange, which seems to be more popular lately (at least for the opponents I've been facing). If Black ignores his queenside counterplay for too long, as happens here, White can get some kingside momentum. After my opponent builds up what should be a winning attack, I decide to go all in on the counterplay for practical chances, aided by my opponent's time pressure. This pays off when I spot a key equalizing tactic, then hold on for the simplified endgame draw.
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| Move | N | Result | Elo | Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.h3 played to prevent the standard ...Bg4 development. g6 7.Nf3 Qc7 played to restrain White's Bf4 development. 7...Bf5 immediately is just as popular in the database. 8.0-0 Bf5 9.Re1 Bxd3 if White does not take on f5, which transforms the pawn structure and Black's strategy, then it is better to exchange bishops and play "normally" with subsequent development. 10.Qxd3 Bg7 11.Be3 0-0= Black has now equalized. 12.Nbd2 e6 although this creates some dark-square holes, the reinforcement of d5 is worth it. 13.g3 obviously looking to put the Be3 on a better diagonal. Nh5 the most played in the small database sample, as Black again plays to restrain Bf4. There is also the idea of sacrificing on g3, which White moves to prevent. 14.Kg2 now Black needs to come up with a middlegame plan. Rfd8 my thinking here was to clear f8 for a potential bishop maneuver and reinforce the d-pawn to possibly enable an ...e5 break, while maintaining flexibility for a queenside pawn advance. The engine is not impressed. 14...f5!? the point here is to immediately act on the kingside, where Black is temporarily stronger and controls f4. 15.Nf1 f4 16.Bd2 fxg3 17.fxg3 Rae8= White's pieces cannot easily further target the e-pawn, while Black will look to put additional heavy pieces on the f-file. 14...Rac8 is a more traditional approach, putting the rook immediately on the half-open file. 15.Nf1 played to give the bishop retreat squares, plus it reinforces g3. Rac8 16.Rad1 Ne7 a long think here about my plan. I eventually decided that the more obvious ...Na5 did not pay off. However, the engine disagrees. 16...Na5 intending to go to c4. 17.Bg5 perhaps I gave too much weight to this possibility, which is not really a problem for Black. 17.b3 Nc6= the knight has provoked a weakening of White's c-pawn, which is not critical but must be guarded, helping ensure equality. 17...Qxc3? 18.Qxc3 Rxc3 19.Bd2+- 17...Re8= with ...h6 and/or ...Nc4 coming. 17.Bc1 proactively moving the bishop away while reinforcing b2. Nf6 another long think here. The knight's only duty on h5 was preventing the bishop from going to f4, which I judged was keeping it too much out of play. 18.Bf4 Qa5 I spent a fair amount of time here as well, since the best square (and plan) for the queen is not obvious. 18...Qc4 is probably simplest (and best). 18...Qb6 19.a3 White by this point has a small edge, as I have no real counterplay and his pieces are somewhat better placed, with Ne5 and Bg5 available to increase pressure. Qb6 making a slightly annoying threat to the b-pawn that is easily parried, but also reinforcing the 6th rank. 20.Re2 Nc6?! reviving the ...Na5 idea, but this turns out to be a bit slow. 20...h6 20...Qa6!? I briefly considered this idea around here, which the engine considers as possibly best. 21.Qxa6 bxa6 22.Ne5 h6 the doubled a-pawns are a long-term weakness, but without the queen White has trouble exploiting them. 21.g4 preventing a return of the Nh5 and also pointing towards a kingside attack plan. Na5 22.Ne3 22.Ng3 looks more effective, also controlling e4. 22...Nc4 23.Nxc4 I felt fine after this exchange, which finally allows for some more active play. dxc4= 24.Qc2 Nd5 now I can hit the Bf4 from the other side. 25.Bg5 Bf6 I thought for a while here, since again there are several major options. 25...Re8= is the simplest response and good. 25...Qc6!? I actually briefly thought of this as a candidate move, but did not further pursue the calculations, partly due to fatigue at this point in the game. 26.Bxd8 Nf4+ 27.Kg3 Nxe2+ 28.Qxe2 Rxd8= would have essentially assured the draw. 26.Bc1 Qc7 with the obvious idea of ...Nf4. 27.Qe4 here I started getting too worried about White's kingside attack prospects. Getting queenside counterplay rolling with ...b5 or ...a5 is now the most active idea for Black. Qe7?! this essentially wastes a tempo and blocks use of the e7 square for other pieces. 28.Rh1 Qf8?! this makes it worse. I was too concerned about defending against imaginary mates on h7/h8 and thought about fianchettoing the queen. 28...Bg7 29.Ree1 b5? I did not calculate the defense properly after White's next move; this should have been played earlier. 29...h6 30.h4± a5 31.g5 this is the less effective option for prying open Black's kingside. 31.h5! 31...Bg7 32.h5+- forcing the opening of the h-file for White's pieces. Qe7?! not the best, but I am out of good moves here anyway. 33.hxg6 hxg6 34.Rh2 b4 objectively the queenside counterplay comes too slow, but I felt it was the best practical chance. My opponent was significantly lower on time at this point. 35.axb4 axb4 36.Bd2 bxc3 37.bxc3 Rb8 I was getting fairly low on time here myself, so did not fully examine other options. Again, the practical choice. 38.Ne5? now I felt much better, since I had spotted a tactical idea earlier on the long diagonal, which the knight had been blocking. 38.Reh1+- 38...Qb7 38...Rb2 was also possible here and a little better according to the engine, but I was not up for the necessary calculation of variations at this point. 39.Reh1 now the Nd5 can move with check to either e3 or f4, but I was not sure exactly how to execute the threat. Doing it immediately is best, according to the engine. Bxe5 now my opponent picks the wrong recapture, although I am still OK after Qxe5. 39...Ne3+! the Qe4 is now hanging and pinned, enabling the following tactical sequence. 40.Kf3 forced Nf1 I vaguely saw this idea but could not calculate further. 41.Rxf1 Bxe5 42.Qxb7 Rxb7= with a completely equal game after 43.dxe5 Rxd2 39...Nf4+ 40.Kf3 Nd5= 40.dxe5 Nf4+! 41.Kf3 Nh5= I spent a chunk of time here ensuring this move was fully safe and effective. 42.Be3 Rd3 43.Rh4 we were both low on time now, although I was still relatively better off. Rxc3 44.Qxb7 the correct decision to simplify, given White's worse king position. Rxb7 45.Rc1 Rxc1 46.Bxc1 Rb3+ 47.Ke2 c3 I correctly assessed that I had no actual winning chances, but wanted to stay active. 48.Rc4 Kf8 49.Kd3 Ke8 50.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 51.Kxc3 this is now fully drawn, but my opponent decided to try and press me in the BvN endgame. Due to White's pawn placement blocking his bishop's mobility and the outposts available to my knight, this is still a simple draw, however. Ng7 52.Kc4 Kd7 53.Kc5 Nf5 54.Bd2 Ne7 55.Ba5 Nd5 56.Bd2 Ne7 57.Kb6 Nd5+ 58.Kb7 Nc7 59.Be3 Nd5 60.Bd2 ½–½
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| White | EloW | Black | EloB | Res | ECO | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | - | ChessAdmin | - | ½–½ | B13 |
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