Annotated Game #323: Shoulda, coulda, woulda...

The thematic title for this last-round game analysis ("shoulda, coulda, woulda...") refers to the slang expression for regretting missed opportunities ("Shoulda done this, coulda done that" etc.) This game followed directly the same day after the rather exhausting Annotated Game #322, so I'll ascribe my calculation fatigue to that circumstance. That said, after an exchange of somewhat complicated tactical blows it's a simple oversight (a backwards minor piece move by my opponent) that seals my fate. I do not go down without a fight, though, and make him work for the extended endgame win.

Although I scored poorly in this tournament, I actually didn't feel terrible about my overall level of play. My opponents were all higher-rated and I managed to obtain what "shoulda" been winning positions in my last two games. It was therefore not a case of me thinking "I'm terrible at this game!" and wanting to quit after getting blown off the board repeatedly. So with some adjustments in my game, I'm looking forward to my next tournament, which I expect to be sometime in November.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Dragon 3.2"] [ECO "D94"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "134"] [GameId "2217637991596088"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Be2 O-O 5. O-O d5 6. c4 {this is the generally recommended line for Colle/Stonewall Attack players against the KID, but not the Gruenfeld.} (6. b4 $5) 6... c6 7. Nc3 Bf5 {we now have a Slav structure hybrid on the board.} 8. cxd5 (8. Qb3 $5 {leaving the central tension in place is also a good option.}) 8... cxd5 9. Qb3 $14 {pressuring b7 and d5; White now has the more pleasant and active game.} b6 10. Bd2 {developing the bishop as best I can and connecting the rooks.} (10. Ne5 {immediately would be prophylaxis against Black's next move, and make getting out the Nb8 more difficult.} Be6 11. Bd2 Ne4 12. Rad1 Nd7 $14) 10... Nc6 11. Rfc1 {for once, it is the correct rook. White's play will be focused more on the queenside, so this deployment of the rooks is appropriate.} Rc8 $6 {mirroring White on the c-file, but I am able to identify the problem with it:} 12. Ba6 {White gains a tempo and is now dominant on the queenside.} Rb8 $6 (12... Na5 {is Black's only chance to play dynamically.} 13. Qa4 Rb8 {and there is no immediate direct threat to be made by White, although there is a menu of good options to select from.} 14. b3 {denying the knight the c4 square, for example.}) 13. Nb5 $16 {product of a long think, as I could tell this was a critical position. This improves the position, but misses a winning idea.} (13. Nxd5 $1 {I looked at this and calculated wrongly that it did not work} Qxd5 {and here I hallucinated that this covered everything, without taking into account the exchange on d5.} (13... Nxd5 {obviously fails to} 14. Rxc6 $18) 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Rxc6 $18) 13... Qd7 {under pressure, my opponent again gives me an opportunity that I do not see.} (13... Bc8 $16) 14. Ne5 $2 {this would be a good idea, but it is played too early.} (14. Qc3 {simple chess, but I missed this idea, being unreasonably worried about a black rook appearing on the c-file, while forgetting the Ba6 is covering c8.} Na5 {and now} 15. Ne5 $1 $18 {after which White uses c7 to dominate the 7th rank.}) 14... Nxe5 $15 15. Rc7 $5 {my opponent was surprised by this tactical move, temporarily sacrificing the knight, but it is not decisive.} (15. dxe5 Ne4 16. Bc3 Nc5 17. Qa3 $15 {is awkward for White but not fatal.}) 15... Qe6 {this limits the squares available to Black's queen, which I understood at the time, and looked to exploit.} 16. dxe5 Ne4 {I missed this rather obvious idea, which appears to gain a tempo on the bishop. However, the engine finds another tactical resource for White.} 17. Bb4 $2 {aggressive but flawed.} (17. f4 $1 {is the non-obvious idea, apparently just hanging the bishop.} Nxd2 18. Qb4 {forking the Nd2 and the e7 square, which would force Black to give back material or see his queen get trapped after Rxe7.} Bxe5 19. fxe5 Ne4 20. Rxe7 Qc6 $11) 17... Bxe5 $6 {this justifies my previous play.} (17... Nc5 $1 $19 {physically blocks the threat and leaves Black with a winning game.}) 18. Rxe7 Qf6 19. Rxe5 {the key follow-up, with a discovered attack from the Bb4 which my opponent likely missed (and was my originaly idea for placing the bishop here).} Qxe5 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 $11 {The tactical dust has settled with an equal position, although I did not pay enough attention to the need to rearrange my awkward queenside pieces.} 21. Rc1 $4 {"Long think, wrong think." I simply missed the backwards knight move by Black.} (21. Rd1 {would avoid Black's threat, as White no longer loses a tempo at the end of the sequence} Nc5 22. Qa3 Nxa6 23. Qxa6 Qxb2 {and now} 24. Nd4 $1 {is best and active, rather than trying to immediately regain the pawn.} (24. Nxa7 Bg4 $15)) 21... Nc5 $19 22. Qa3 Nxa6 {long think for my opponent here, evidently making sure of the follow-up.} 23. Qxa6 Qxb2 24. Rd1 Rc8 25. Nd4 {this now comes a tempo too late to save me.} Rc1 26. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 27. Qf1 Qxf1+ 28. Kxf1 {this is still a win for Black, but not so simple in the minor piece endgame. However, he now does a good job of leveraging his queenside pawn majority and long-range bishop versus my centralized knight, which puts up a good fight.} Bd3+ 29. Ke1 Bc4 30. a3 Kf8 31. Kd2 a5 32. a4 $6 {this blocks Black from making progress via b5 for a while, but the pawn is also more exposed here in the long run.} (32. g4 $5) 32... Ke7 33. Kc3 {although my king makes it first to the battleground, there is nothing further for it to do.} Kd6 34. f4 Kc5 35. g4 b5 {now the pawn lever is possible.} 36. axb5 Bxb5 37. g5 Ba4 38. h4 Bd1 39. Kd2 {although Black has a winning position, there is still a lot of maneuvering to be done, so I keep resisting.} Bg4 40. Kc3 a4 41. Nc2 Bf5 42. Nb4 {part of the fatal problem set for White is that the knight must avoid getting exchanged, otherwise Black immediately has a won K+P endgame.} Be4 43. Na6+ Kb6 44. Nb4 Kb5 45. Na2 Bf5 46. Nb4 {my only real hope is for Black not figure out how to crack the knight hops and perhaps get a draw via repetition of moves.} Be6 47. Nc2 Kc5 48. Nb4 Kb6 49. Nc2 Kb5 50. Nb4 Kb6 (50... a3 $1 {is playable now, using the principle of two weaknesses. White must stop the a-pawn, but cannot do that and protect his e-pawn at the same time, While the Black king runs rampant in the center.} 51. Nc2 (51. Nd3 a2 52. Kb2 d4 53. exd4 Kc4 $19) 51... a2 52. Nd4+ Ka4 53. Kb2 Kb4 54. Kxa2 Kc3 $19 {and Black's king will gobble the White pawns.}) 51. Nc2 Kb5 52. Nb4 a3 {Black now figures out the idea from the above variation and goes for the decisive win.} 53. Nc2 Ka4 54. Na1 Bf5 55. Nb3 Bg4 56. Na1 Be2 57. Nc2 Bc4 58. e4 {still fighting} Ba2 59. exd5 Bxd5 60. Na1 Be6 61. Nc2 a2 62. Kb2 Kb5 {the winning idea, abandoning the a-pawn and heading for my soft underbelly with the king.} 63. Kc3 Kc5 64. Na1 Kd5 65. Kd3 Bf5+ 66. Ke3 Kc4 {threatening to return to the passed pawn} 67. Kd2 Kd4 {now it is inevitable.} 0-1