Annotated Game #139: Hung by hanging pawns

This last-round game is a fitting end to the tournament, as it reflects the low level of play I had consistently shown throughout.  Coming out of a Colle-Zukertort opening setup that White chose, I had an equal position but could not figure out a worthwhile plan.  This planlessness contributed to poor decisions which tied my pieces up and allowed White to take the initiative and never let it go.  Analysis shows that I had more than one opportunity to level the game after inaccurate moves by White, but my thinking under pressure was muddled and I failed to see my own chances, as well as adequately falsify my moves (move 34 being an excellent example of this).

From a strategic point of view, the game is an interesting look at the hanging pawns structure and how it can be exploited.  White in this case supported them well and eventually after exchanges obtained an advanced passed d-pawn, which tied my pieces down while he switched to a kingside attack.  Hanging pawns are always double-edged, though, and I had plenty of chances to neutralize White's play.

I was glad to get this tournament over with, as you might imagine. We'll eventually see how my subsequent tournament went and to what extent I was able to recover my play.  For a little while, though, I'll plan to do some more master-level commentary games which I've been saving up, for a change of pace (and better examples of play).

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D04"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "81"] [EventDate "2012.07.??"] [EventRounds "9"] {D04: Colle System} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 {one of the ideas behind the Colle System is to develop this bishop early and hopefully use it for kingside pressure. This also prevents Black from developing his bishop to f5.} Bg4 { I wanted to pursue a similar strategy to my typical Slav and develop the white-square bishop early. Black has a large number of potential approaches here and the text move scores well (over 50 percent).} 4. Nf3 e6 5. h3 Bh5 ( 5... Bxf3 {was worth considering here. Usually an early bishop for knight exchange is frowned on, but in this position it would eliminate a good knight that has a potentially strong outpost on e5, while Black's bishop has limited scope.}) 6. b3 {my opponent evidently has a preference for the Colle-Zukertort system, which features a queenside fianchetto.} (6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. O-O Be7 8. b3 O-O 9. Bb2 c5 10. c4 Rc8 11. Rc1 Qa5 12. Bb1 Rfd8 13. Qe2 Bg6 14. Bxg6 hxg6 15. a3 Qb6 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. dxe5 Ne4 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qc2 Rd3 20. Bc3 Rcd8 { Zakharov,K-Lobov,D (2155) Khanty-Mansiysk 2009 0-1 (38)}) 6... c5 $146 { the standard response by Black, gaining space on the queenside and looking to open the c-file after a pawn exchange on d4.} 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. a3 {continuing with the standard C-Z setup.} cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 {this is an overly passive move. The bishop is doing nothing relevant on the d8-h4 diagonal, as there is no danger of White playing Bg5.} (9... Bd6 {is the superior bishop move.}) (9... Ne4 $5 {is an interesting possibility, as Black could follow up by supporting it with . ..f5 and achieve a favorable Stonewall-type position.}) 10. Nbd2 O-O 11. O-O Rc8 12. c4 dxc4 {this is a critical decision point, as the game's strategy now revolves around White's hanging c/d pawns. Black must attack them vigorously, while White needs to play actively and use the extra space they offer him.} (12... Bg6 {is an alternative which might lead to different play, for example} 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. c5 a5 $11) 13. bxc4 Rc7 {at this point I understood the general idea Black should pursue - pressuring the c/d pawns as much as possible - but did not have a concrete plan to achieve it. The text move is not bad, but I get into trouble afterwards due to this planlessness.} 14. Rc1 Rd7 15. Nb3 Bg6 {by this stage of the game, without a strongpoint on d5, exchanging on f3 would simply bring White's queen to a better square. Instead I look to exchange bishops, which also takes a defender away from the c4 pawn.} 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Qc2 Rc7 {an indication of planlessness is shuffling pieces. I fail to understand that while the c-file is important and a rook placed there is useful, it would be even more useful to activate the Rf8, which is currently doing nothing.} (17... Qc7 18. Rfe1 Rc8 $11) 18. Rfd1 { Black has a cramped position, comments Houdini via the Fritz interface. The effects of this will become evident, as White later puts an effective squeeze on Black's position. Objectively speaking, however, Black is still equal.} Bd6 19. Ne5 Nd7 (19... Qe7 $5 {shows the value of being active, even in a more cramped position. The Rf8 would be free to develop, for example.}) 20. Nxd7 Qxd7 21. Qe4 Qc8 $6 {any move with the Rf8 to a central file would be good here.} 22. d5 exd5 23. cxd5 {While Black is by no means lost here, I have a much harder task on the defense and immediately go astray.} Re8 {ironically, when I finally develop the rook, it is the wrong move.} (23... Ne7 $5 $11 { is what the engines show as holding for Black.}) 24. Qa4 $16 {now Black in this sequence cannot recapture with the queen on c7, once the Nc6 moves, or the Re8 is lost.} Ne7 25. Rxc7 Bxc7 26. d6 Rd8 27. d7 Qb8 28. Nd4 $2 {moving to either a5 or c5 would be fine for White. This gives Black a tactical boost, as the Nd4 can be pinned against the Bb2 and provide relief. Alas, I do not see this.} a6 $2 {Secures b5, notes Houdini, which is what I was focusing on. However, White has a very effective follow up.} (28... Bh2+ {is a move that I considered, but dismissed too quickly as leading to no advantage. The check itself is not the point - although it moves the king off of its ideal square - rather, the follow-up pin is.} 29. Kf1 Be5 $11) 29. Nf3 $18 {this appears innocuous, but is in fact the most effective attacking move possible. White's knight and queen can now combine effectively on the kingside.} Nc6 30. Qh4 Bf4 {there is nothing better. Black must try to defend against the Ng5-Qh7 threat.} 31. g3 Bd6 $2 (31... Bh6 {unfortunately does not save Black, as I now saw during the game, so I tried in desperation to play more actively. For example} 32. Be5 Nxe5 33. Nxe5 g5 34. Qd4 {and White's threats to f7 after Qd5 cannot be parried without losing material.}) 32. Ng5 Be5 33. Bxe5 Qxe5 34. Nf3 $2 { White's dithering back and forth now lets Black back in the game. Unfortunately by this point I was not thinking well under pressure and I miss the chance, failing to see White's follow-up move.} (34. Rd3 Qf6 35. Rf3 $18) 34... Qf5 $4 (34... Qe7 $11 {would bring relief, says Houdini.} 35. Qxe7 (35. Re1 Qxh4 36. Re8+ Kh7 37. gxh4 f6) 35... Nxe7) 35. Re1 $18 Qxd7 36. Ng5 { White's mating threats are now decisive.} Ne7 37. Rxe7 $1 {the rook cannot be recaptured, as then the Qe7 would cut off the king's retreat.} Qd1+ 38. Kh2 Qh5 39. Qxh5 {this also wins easily by transitioning to the endgame, even if it does not lead to a quick mate.} (39. Qc4 Rf8 40. Rxf7 Qxg5 41. Rf5+ Kh7 42. Rxf8 Qf6 43. Qg8+ Kh6 44. Rxf6 gxf6 45. f4 g5 46. f5 a5 47. Qg6#) 39... gxh5 40. Rxb7 f6 (40... Re8 {does not help much} 41. Ra7 f6 42. Nf3 $18) 41. Ne6 1-0

Studying the other side of your chosen defense

In the past I've made a number of observations about opening study, but one thing that hasn't been discussed is studying your chosen defense from the other player's perspective.  When you have limited time to put into your chess studies, it makes sense to focus on books and other materials that treat your defense (the Caro-Kann, the Dutch, etc.) from Black's perspective. Ideally they will be both objective and comprehensive. The best indicator of this is how White's plans and prospects are treated.

Too often, especially with resources aimed at the Class player, Black's chances are exaggerated, or White's are downplayed (which amounts to the same thing).  It's interesting to note that so-called repertoire books, while narrowly focusing on Black's preferred moves, tend - if the author is honest - to provide a deep look at all of White's possibilities.  This is made easier by limiting the scope of the material covered and subjecting the chosen variations to (hopefully) rigorous testing.  Black players benefit tremendously from making a serious effort to fully understand all of White's plans and how to respond to them.

Taking the idea further, I've found some of the most valuable opening study material for my defenses to have been written from White's point of view.  The Caro-Kann in Black and White, for example, was authored by Beliavsky and Karpov, each taking one side's perspective; Beliavsky's portion (as White) taught me a lot more.  A more recent example that looks worth examination by Black players is 1. e4 versus the French, Caro-Kann and Philidor, reviewed by GM David Smerdon on Chess.com.  It's always good to see the other side's playbook, especially when it deepens your own understanding.

Annotated Game #138: When complex situations demand complex solutions

This eighth-round tournament game was notable for its middlegame complexity. Both myself and my opponent found ourselves somewhat adrift, with a number of difficult and unclear decisions to make, although it led to an exciting battle all the way to the end. The complications begin after I prematurely relieve the central pawn tension on move 15, then allow Black to win the exchange. At the time, I was rather disgusted with myself, but decided (correctly) to fight on and search for compensation. In return, I got a pawn back and some active play. Both king positions are vulnerable - mine more so - but after both sides engage in ill-advised pawn-grabbing and miss subtle attacking possibilities, I manage to force a draw.

This was a very demanding game for both of us and it illustrates well how Class players too often go for moves that are more obvious, or that simplify the game to our own detriment. Instead, we should not be afraid of complexity, but rather strive to break down the position to the best of our abilities and make clear evaluations of each element. This would have helped me on the move 15 decision, for example, which showed poor judgment along with a failure to look far enough ahead at my opponent's possibilities.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A26"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "2012.07.??"] [EventRounds "9"] {A26: English Opening vs King's Indian with ...Nc6 and d3} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 d6 6. d3 h6 {this is played earlier on in the sequence than is normal in this line. Black has in mind an early thrust with his kingside pawns.} 7. O-O f5 8. Rb1 Nf6 (8... a5 9. a3 Be6 10. Nd2 Nf6 11. b4 axb4 12. axb4 O-O 13. Nd5 Nd7 14. Bb2 Kh7 15. Bc3 Bf7 16. Ra1 Rxa1 17. Qxa1 Nd4 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. b5 Re8 20. Re1 Nc5 21. Nb4 g5 22. Qa2 Bg6 23. Nb3 {Gagare,S (2117)-Barua,D (2483) Mumbai 2009 1/2-1/2 (48)}) 9. b4 g5 {Black accelerates his kingside plan of gaining space with his pawns and eventually assaulting White's king position. White however can prevent Black from fully seizing the initiative with some immediate threats on the queenside and in the center.} 10. b5 $14 {Komodo 8 shows a slight plus here (around half a pawn). White enjoys a small lead in development and should be able to usefully exploit the space advantage on the queenside, as well as control of d5.} Ne7 11. Qc2 $146 { White has a lot of choices here, with none of them being obviously better. Developing the queen to b3 appears more effective, though, as it fights for d5 and the a2-g8 diagonal offers greater possibilities. The text move eyes the e2 pawn and the e4 square for defensive purposes, but after a future Nd2 this queen placement is not as useful.} f4 {an obvious follow-up, also opening up the diagonal for the light-square bishop.} 12. Ba3 {the only effective square to develop the bishop, given Black's pawn structure.} O-O 13. c5 {note how with the queen on b3 this would have more bite to it, as it would come with discovered check.} (13. Nd2 {as a preparatory move looks effective here, as the Nf3 is doing little where it is and the long diagonal is now opened up for the bishop.}) 13... fxg3 (13... Be6 $11) 14. fxg3 $11 {an uninspired, if safe choice.} (14. Qb3+ $5 {leads to a more imbalanced position, for example} Kh8 15. hxg3 Nf5 16. cxd6 cxd6 17. e4 {this blocks the Bg2, but drives away Black's well-placed knight and establishes more central control in return, giving White a small plus.} Ne7 18. Qb4 $14) 14... Ng4 15. cxd6 {resolving the tension may simplify the situation, but it is in White's best interests to make Black have to focus on potential unresolved issues in the center, rather than on his kingside play. The disappearance of the c-pawn also allows Black to exploit the a7-g1 diagonal, which I missed during the game.} cxd6 16. Qb3+ Kh8 17. Qb4 Qb6+ $15 18. Kh1 Nf2+ 19. Rxf2 {this is forced, but Black despite gaining the exchange does not in fact gain a huge advantage as a result.} Qxf2 20. Qxd6 Nf5 21. Qc7 {White's activity in Black's backfield partially compensates for the material. Black also does not have a real attack on the kingside, although he tries his best.} Ne3 22. Rg1 Bf5 23. Bxf8 {I claw back the material, although Black still has a positional advantage, with more threats available to him.} Rxf8 24. Qxb7 {I thought for a long time here and chose poorly. Black however fails to find the continuation that would give him a significant advantage.} (24. Qd6 $5 $15) 24... g4 {the obvious move, but not best.} (24... e4 $5 25. dxe4 Bg4 $17 {is found by the engines. Now White's best is} 26. e5 Nxg2 27. Rxg2 Bxf3 28. exf3 Qe1+ 29. Rg1 Qxc3 $17) 25. Nh4 $11 {I was pleased to have found this move, which holds everything together nicely for White, although it remains a complicated defense and I do not play it well. } (25. Qxa7 $2 gxf3 26. Bxf3 e4 27. dxe4 Bh3 $19 {and now an exchange sacrifice on f3 will be decisive.}) 25... Bh7 26. Ne4 $2 (26. b6 {is one of those "little moves" that engines find so easily.} axb6 27. Qxb6 e4 28. Nxe4 Qxe2 29. Qb1 $11) (26. Qxa7 $6 {is inferior:} e4 27. Nxe4 Qxe2 {and unlike in the previous variation, White's queen remains locked out of the defense on a7.} ) (26. Nd1 {is the correct knight move.} Qxe2 $2 27. Nxe3 Qxe3 28. a4 Bxd3 29. a5 $11 {and Black will have to give up his kingside attack in order to stop White's queenside pawns.}) 26... Qxe2 $17 {I am now in some trouble and start making more desperate moves.} 27. Nc5 $2 {luckily Black goes pawn hunting, ignoring the point of my active play.} (27. Qxa7 Nxg2 28. Nxg2 Qxd3 29. Nc5 $19 ) 27... Qxa2 (27... Nd1 {instead would seal the game for Black, as White would be forced to give up material and/or make his king vulnerable to mate threats.} 28. h3 gxh3 $19) 28. Be4 {this looks good, but has one major flaw.} (28. Qe7 $11 {White would be fine here, due to the follow-up threat of Ne6.}) 28... Rf2 {Black again fails to find the best continuation.} (28... Qf2 $5 {threatening . ..Nf1 and mate on h2.} 29. Bg2 Nxg2 30. Ne6 Qf7 31. Qxf7 Rxf7 32. Kxg2 Bxd3 $17 ) 29. Qb8+ $11 Bf8 30. Qxe5+ Kg8 31. Bxh7+ $4 {in another complex situation, my calculation again fails me. Here simplification does not help the situation. } (31. Qe6+ {would take the game safely into drawish territory.} Qxe6 32. Nxe6 Bxe4+ 33. dxe4 $11) 31... Kxh7 $19 32. Qe4+ {this looks like it should be fine, with Black's king so exposed, but interposing the knight on f5 would give Black the necessary extra tempo to activate his mate threat on h2.} Kg8 { Black has a mate threat} (32... Nf5 $1 33. Qb7+ Kg8 {and now White has nothing better than} 34. Ng2 Bxc5 $19) 33. Qg6+ $4 {another huge miscalculation, but my opponent is having similar troubles calculating ahead in a complex position. } (33. Qe6+ $142 {saving the game} Qxe6 34. Nxe6 $11) 33... Bg7 $2 (33... Kh8 { eventually wins for Black.} 34. Qf6+ Rxf6 35. Ne4 Rf7 36. b6 Qe2 37. bxa7 Rf1 38. h3 gxh3 39. Nf6 Qf2 40. Ng6+ Kg7 41. Nh5+ Kxg6 42. Nf4+ Kf7 43. Rxf1 Nxf1 44. a8=Q Qh2#) 34. Qe8+ $11 {I finally reach a position where I can legitimately force a draw.} 1/2-1/2

Annotated Game #137: A (mostly) clean win in the Caro-Kann

This seventh-round win may not be completely clean, but it sure looks better than the last few games and shows how effective the Caro-Kann can be as a counterattacking opening.  My opponent avoids theory early on, probably not having prepared anything against the Caro-Kann, and enters a harmless variation that lets Black equalize quickly.

White nevertheless plays quite aggressively as the middlegame phase is entered, signaling with 11. fxg3 that he wants to try for a kingside attack.  However, with both bishops already exchanged off and a solid structure for Black in place, this plan is over-optimistic.  Ignoring an interesting sacrificial theme on f6, which would have forced a draw with a perpetual check, White instead overextends his kingside pawns and essentially traps his own rook on the h-file.  I am then able to switch to operations on the c-file and break into White's back ranks, finishing off his king as it tries to run up the board.  Although as you can see in the notes it would have been better for me to execute some of my ideas a move earlier than I actually played them, I'm generally pleased with my performance.  There are a number of other tweaks that I found in analysis that should also help with future play of similar positions, including avoiding wasted moves and looking out for sacs on f6.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class C"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B11"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "68"] [EventDate "2012.07.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] {B11: Caro-Kann: Two Knights Variation} 1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bb5+ Bd7 5. Bxd7+ Qxd7 6. d4 Nc6 7. Nf3 e6 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. Bg3 $146 Nf6 {an interesting alternative would be to have the knight head for f5 via e7, given the presence of the Bg3 and the chance to add pressure on d4.} 10. O-O Bxg3 { an example of how Class players prematurely release tension. Exchanging now does not offer any advantage to Black.} (10... Rc8 $5) 11. fxg3 {a weakening move that indicates my opponent is looking to play aggressively by opening the f-file for his rook.} a6 {Controls b5, but this is essentially a wasted move, as White is not threatening anything on the kingside. I could (and should) have castled immediately, but wanted to see more of my opponent's intentions first.} 12. Qd2 O-O {I correctly assess that Black is solid and should not worry too much about White's threatening gestures.} 13. Rae1 Rac8 14. Ne5 { an impatient move. White was evidently hoping for an exchange, which would be to his favor with a pawn established on e5 and no good retreat square for the Nf6. However, I do not oblige and simply retreat the queen to a better square.} Qd8 15. h3 {White returns my earlier favor of a wasted move (...a6) with one of his own.} (15. Nxc6 bxc6 16. Na4 Ne4 $15) 15... b5 (15... Nxe5 {now is good for Black, since the Nf6 has d7 for a retreat square.} 16. dxe5 Nd7 17. Rf2 Qb6 18. Na4 Qc7 $17 {Komodo 8 here considers Black to have by far the better position, up a pawn equivalent. White's pieces are scattered and uncoordinated, while Black will have strong pressure on the queenside and against the e5 pawn. }) 16. a3 {Consolidates b4, notes Houdini via the Fritz interface.} Qc7 { a passive move and it also overlooks a tactical shot on f6, now only protected by the g-pawn, which would give White a forced draw.} (16... Nxe5 17. Rxe5 Rc4 $17) 17. g4 (17. Rxf6 gxf6 18. Qh6 fxe5 19. Qg5+ Kh8 20. Qf6+ $11) 17... Nxe5 $15 {now I play the right move.} 18. Rxe5 Nd7 19. Rh5 {White continues to play agressively and over-optimistically.} Rfe8 (19... Nb6 $5 {threatening to move to c4 and also freeing up the queen on the seventh rank.} 20. g5 Qe7 $15 { lending support to the f-file.}) 20. Qf2 {a rather obvious threat. I parry it easily, but could have obtained an advantage instead.} Nf6 {this puts the knight back into the tactical line of fire, which White could have exploited with a similar sacrificial theme as in the previous variation, the removal of the g-pawn.} (20... f6 21. g5 f5 $17) 21. Rh4 (21. Rg5 Kh8 22. Rxg7 Kxg7 23. Qxf6+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kh8 {the best option Black has is to continue the repetition of moves.}) 21... Rf8 {a rather ineffectual move.} (21... h6 { this little prophylactic move would have been excellent, controlling g5 and shoring up Black's defense.} 22. Rxh6 Nxg4 23. hxg4 gxh6 24. Qf6 $15) 22. g5 $11 Ne8 23. Qf3 {another obvious threat, this time to head to h5.} g6 {if White had a dark-square bishop, Black could be in trouble. In this case, however, White's attack has nowhere left to go.} 24. Rh6 {White's optimistic desire to attack now goes too far. The rook visually looks more threatening on h6, perhaps the reason for my opponent's choice, but it in fact does nothing for him there and becomes a liability shortly.} (24. Rf4 Nd6 $15) 24... f5 ( 24... Nd6 {immediately is better.} 25. Qf6 Rfe8 $17) 25. g4 $2 Nd6 $19 26. Qe3 Ne4 27. Nxe4 $2 {an oversight. But White was lost anyway, states Houdini via the Frtiz interface.} (27. gxf5 exf5 28. Nxd5 $19 Qd8 29. Nf6+ Nxf6 30. gxf6 Qxf6 31. c3 Rce8 32. Qf4 {White has to maintain control over the c1-h6 diagonal to prevent a queen fork on g5, which allows Black to penetrate.} Re2 $19) 27... fxe4 {opening the f-file now makes all the difference for Black.} ( 27... dxe4 $6 28. c3 fxg4 29. Rf6 $16) 28. Rf6 (28. c3 Rxf1+ 29. Kxf1 Rf8+ 30. Kg2 Rf3 $19) 28... Qxc2 {White is now effectively helpless as Black penetrates the back ranks with the heavy pieces.} 29. Qf4 Rxf6 30. Qxf6 Qb1+ $19 31. Kf2 Rc2+ 32. Kg3 Qg1+ 33. Kf4 Qh2+ 34. Ke3 Qg3+ {missing the more elegant mate in one in favor of the mate in two.} (34... Qd2#) 0-1

Annotated Game #136: What exactly happened?

In this sixth-round tournament game, if one looks at it in the early middlegame then White appears to be sitting pretty, having accomplished all he could hope for out of the opening by move 18.  Indeed, as of move 26 I still had all the cards.  At this point, however, I "lose the thread" of the game and start a strategic downhill slide, becoming distracted from my queenside-based pressure while not properly defending the kingside.  The ineffectiveness of my strategic flailing is highlighted around move 29, as pieces begin to simply shuffle back and forth.  Despite this slide and Black's subsequent takeover of the initiative, my position was objectively at least equal until the board sight blunder on move 40, where my opponent seals the win with material gain.

So was it a simple tactical error that lost the game?  In reality, my mental state was poor after failing to grasp what was needed in the position and handing the initiative and its accompanying pressure over to the opponent.  The pressure of defending successfully (even if not optimally) eventually exhausted me and contributed substantially to the actual game-losing error.  On the other hand, if I had stuck religiously to my thought process, using CCT would have prevented the loss.  In the end, the result came from a combination of factors - tactical, strategic and psychological - as is the case with most chess games.

Even though I understand how the game evolved after analysis, it still makes me shake my head and wonder what exactly happened, especially after having a position that any English Opening player would love to see.  At least the analytic process should help me play stronger in future such situations.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A24"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2012.07.??"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "9"] {A24: English Opening vs King's Indian: Lines without ...Nc6} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O e5 7. d3 c6 8. Rb1 Na6 {Black evidently wants to keep the d7 square free so he can develop his light-square bishop, but a6 is not a good square for the knight.} 9. b4 Bd7 10. b5 Nc5 11. Nd2 Rb8 12. a4 (12. bxc6 $5 Bxc6 13. Ba3 {might put more pressure on Black.}) 12... Qc7 13. Ba3 Ne6 14. e3 {Controls d4+f4} (14. Nde4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 c5 16. e3 {would be an improved version of the idea.}) 14... Rfd8 15. Qb3 b6 $6 {an unnecessary weakening move.} (15... Nc5 $5 16. Bxc5 dxc5 17. Nde4 $11) 16. bxc6 Bxc6 17. Nb5 Bxb5 18. axb5 $16 {White has achieved his positional goals on the queenside, with a powerful Bg2 helping control the light squares and the Ba3 exerting pressure on d6. Finally, the backward a-pawn can become a target.} Nc5 {Black correctly blocks the bishop, which I decide is best traded for the centrally placed knight.} 19. Bxc5 dxc5 {Opposite coloured bishops appeared, notes Houdini via the Fritz interface. Right now White's is much better.} 20. Ne4 Ne8 (20... Nxe4 $5 21. Bxe4 f5 22. Bd5+ Kh8) 21. Rfd1 f5 {gaining space and kicking the knight.} 22. Nc3 {with an eye on the d5 square.} Nf6 23. Nd5 { if Black exchanges on d5, then White's bishop becomes even more dominant from its central position.} Qf7 24. Nxf6+ Qxf6 {forced, due to the skewer otherwise after Bd5.} 25. Bd5+ Kh8 26. Ra1 {White remains comfortably in control and correctly increases the pressure against the backward a-pawn.} Rd7 27. Ra3 { this is not in fact a bad move, but it marks the beginning of my strategic confusion. I did not understand that my queen should be redeployed along the second rank, as it rather useless on b3. This should be accompanied by increased pressure along the a-file with doubled rooks. In the game I understood the benefits of doubling rooks, but got distracted by Black's pawn advances. As a final point, moving Ra6 would have been just as good as the text move for doubling purposes and would have also blockaded the a-pawn and exerted some indirect pressure along the sixth rank.} f4 {Black wins space, notes Houdini.} 28. Rf1 {White is still fine objectively, but this move starts the strategic slide.} Rf8 {with the obvious threat of ...fxe3, as the Rf1 is now under-protected.} 29. Raa1 $11 {I've now simply wasted several tempi on the queenside and have effectively lost the initiative, although the position remains equal.} (29. Qd1 {would reposition the queen to a much more effective square and accomplish the same thing as the text move to protect the Rf1.}) 29... f3 {this certainly looks threatening, establishing a mate possibility on g2, but White can deal with this resaonbly in several ways.} (29... Qg5 $5) 30. h3 (30. Be4 Qe6 31. Qd1 Rdf7 32. Kh1 Qh3 33. Rg1 {and White has neutralized Black's threats, with good prospect of resuming his queenside pressure.}) 30... g5 31. Kh2 Qh6 {here I only saw the h-file threat and did not note that Black now could open up on the long diagonal with the Bg7.} 32. Rh1 $6 (32. Be4 $14 { is a clever way of blocking the advance of the e-pawn, while maintaining protection of the d3 pawn and controlling f5 and g6.}) 32... e4 $11 33. Rad1 exd3 {this should let White off the hook.} (33... g4 $5) 34. Qxd3 $14 Be5 35. Kg1 {this should still be good enough for a draw, but bolder, more active defense would have been better.} (35. Qe4) 35... Qd6 {although Black is not making objectively strong moves, he retains the initiative and succeeded in pressuring me psychologically as well.} (35... Qg7) 36. Qf1 $6 (36. Qc2 $5 { would have retained some chance for advantage. For example} Qc7 37. g4 Qd8 38. Kf1) 36... Bxg3 $11 37. Bxf3 {I was proud of finding this defensive move, which I assessed would lead to a draw.} Bxf2+ 38. Kxf2 Qf6 39. Kg2 (39. Rxd7 { is a more creative solution.} Qxf3+ 40. Ke1 Qxe3+ 41. Qe2 $11) 39... Rdf7 40. Bd5 $4 {the losing move. I simply miss the long-range check on b2.} (40. Rd5 $11 {was a good chance to save the game, notes Houdini.}) 40... Qb2+ $19 41. Kg1 Rxf1+ 42. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 43. Kxf1 Qd2 {the power of the queen in the endgame is now demonstrated and my opponent plays well in converting the point. I didn't want to give up prematurely, but the struggle is essentially hopeless.} 44. e4 Qd1+ 45. Kg2 Qe2+ 46. Kg1 Kg7 47. Rh2 Qe1+ 48. Kg2 Kg6 49. Rh1 Qe2+ 50. Kg3 (50. Kg1 h5 51. Rh2 Qe1+ 52. Kg2 g4 53. hxg4 hxg4 $19) 50... Qe3+ 51. Kg2 Kh5 52. Rf1 Kh4 53. Rf3 Qe2+ 54. Rf2 Qe1 55. Rf3 h5 56. Ra3 $2 (56. Rf2 $19 { what else? notes Houdini. Instead, the end comes sooner.}) 56... Qd2+ 57. Kf3 g4+ 0-1