Annotated Game #318: At least I saw it afterwards

In this next tournament game I get a surprise second Black pairing in a row, but get into a comfortable Exchange Caro-Kann and equalize easily. I play solidly and am able to take advantage of a middlegame blunder from my opponent, but then shortly afterwards blunder back due to complacency and rushing my thinking process; at least I saw my opponent's winning tactic, unfortunately only after I had actually played my move. After that, my opponent plays carefully in a queen endgame to score the point. Despite the dual blunders, there are some useful points from analysis regarding Black's middlegame play, including the fact that the e-pawn break and/or queenside pawn expansion could have been played earlier, that I will take on board for future games.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "B13"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "105"] [GameId "2203894030975059"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 g6 7. Qc2 Nh5 {White's previous move prevents Black's intended ...Bf5, so this retaliates by kicking the bishop off of its strongest diagonal.} 8. Be3 Qc7 (8... Bg7 {is slightly more principled, deferring placement of the queen for now.}) 9. Nf3 Bg7 $11 {Black has fully equalized out of the opening.} 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. O-O Nf4 {leaving the knight on the rim is not good in the long run, so Black uses control of f4 to seek an exchange for a White bishop.} 12. Bxf4 Qxf4 13. Rae1 e6 {not bad, but committal in the center. Given that I play the ...e5 break in a few moves, I could have used the tempo for something else.} (13... a6 {prepares for an immediate ...b5, starting the queenside pawns rolling.}) (13... Qd6 {is a flexible retreat.}) (13... e5 $5 {would provoke some immediate exchanges.}) 14. g3 Qc7 15. h4 {secures g5} Bd7 (15... e5 $5) 16. Kg2 Rae8 {now I decide to push for the ...e5 break, but with additional support, ignoring White's h-pawn. I correctly decide it cannot do any actual damage.} 17. h5 e5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. hxg6 fxg6 {both pawn recaptures work here. During the game, I thought it would be easier to defend the h-file with a pawn on h7 blocking it.} 21. Nf3 Rxe1 {straightforwardly trading down to reduce the potential threats from White's pieces.} 22. Rxe1 Bc6 {not losing, but unnnecessarily passive, given that the d-pawn is under no immediate threat.} (22... Bg4) 23. Nd4 Bxd4 $6 {a trade that benefits White. I was concerned about a fork on e6, but the threat is easily resolved.} (23... Qf7 $11) 24. cxd4 $14 Qg7 $6 {this essentially prompts White to play the best move in the position.} 25. Re5 $16 a6 $2 26. Qe2 $6 (26. Bxa6 $1 {I spotted this only after moving the a-pawn. The deflection tactic gives White a winning position.}) 26... Qf6 27. Qe3 (27. Re6 {would be more to the point.}) 27... Rf7 $2 {this would allow the Bxa6 idea again immediately, with a rook fork on e6.} 28. Re6 Qg7 29. Bxa6 $18 {delayed, but still very effective.} Bd7 {now my opponent misses the only good continuation for White.} 30. Re5 (30. Bxb7 Bxe6 31. Qxe6 Kh8 32. b4 $18 {and the engine gives the win to White's pawns, with d5 also hanging.}) 30... bxa6 $19 {suddenly I am winning after the blunder.} 31. Kg1 Bc6 {under pressure, I start playing passively again, not seeing a good alternative.} (31... Qf6 $5 {there's no reason to be so materialistic over d5, including for tactical reasons.} 32. Rxd5 Re7 $19) 32. Re6 Rc7 $4 {this hands the game back to my opponent, thanks to the queen fork I saw...after I played the move.} 33. Rxc6 $1 Rxc6 34. Qe8+ Qf8 35. Qxc6 $18 Qf3 {now I resist as best I can in the queen ending, but both kings have similar safety levels, while White has the initiative and extra material. Credit goes to my opponent for carefully playing it out for the win.} 36. Qe8+ Kg7 37. Qe7+ Kg8 38. Qe6+ Kg7 39. Qe5+ Kg8 40. Qe3 Qf7 41. Kg2 Qb7 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qe5+ Kg8 44. b3 Kf7 45. Kh3 Qc8+ 46. g4 Qd8 47. g5 {after this the net closes around Black. The fundamental problem is that the K+P ending is lost for me, so all White has to do is force a queen trade.} Qc8+ 48. Kg3 Qd7 49. Qe2 Kg8 (49... Qc6 $5 {would have prolonged things, but I was now short of time as well.}) 50. Qxa6 {now it's really over.} Qc7+ 51. Kg2 Qf4 52. Qe6+ Kf8 53. Qf6+ 1-0