Annotated Game #146: Fog on the tactical horizon

This last-round tournament game is primarily interesting for the calculation error which leads to my loss.  I correctly spot the way to take advantage of White's move 19 oversight, but lose my way in the tactical complications.  First, I missed the very important in-between move that White has on move 20.  Second, I despaired once I saw that all of the options for Black were apparently bad.  I dismissed 20...cxd5 out of hand, once I saw that Black's knight could not escape following its pin against the queen with 21. Rc1.  However, this was a premature shortening of the calculation horizon, as Black has an impressive desperado tactic with the knight to end up with two rooks for a queen and a positional edge.  In the actual game, I picked the worst recapture option on d5, trying to complicate matters for White, who then showed impressive calm and skill to finish me off carefully, with a nice deflection tactic at the end.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D16"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2013.01.21"] [EventRounds "7"] {D16: Slav Defence: 5 a4: Lines with 5...Bg4 and 5...Na6} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Na6 {although this is the main line Slav, this is the first time I have had a chance to play it in recent memory. This is called the Lasker variation, after the world champion who employed it.} 6. e4 Bg4 7. Bxc4 e6 8. Be2 {breaking the pin, although a small waste of time.} (8. Be3 Be7 9. a5 O-O 10. Qb3 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Qc7 12. O-O Rad8 13. Rfd1 Ne8 14. f4 Nd6 15. Bf1 Kh8 16. f3 Qc8 17. Rac1 Nc7 18. Kh1 Qb8 19. Na4 Ndb5 20. Nc5 a6 21. Rd2 Ne8 22. Bh3 g6 {Schmidt,W (2430)-Smyslov,V (2550) Moscow 1980 1/2-1/2 (43)}) 8... Be7 $146 9. O-O O-O 10. Bg5 Nb4 $11 {the point of the Na6 development. The knight is well-placed on b4 and helps counterbalance White's space advantage in the center.} 11. Re1 a5 {with the idea of consolidating the b4 outpost.} 12. h3 Bxf3 {I felt the trade was worth it, given that the knight could go to e5 and be strongly positioned otherwise.} 13. Bxf3 Re8 {this is OK, but the engine points out that challenging in the center would be better.} (13... Nd7 14. Be3 e5 15. d5 Bc5 $11) 14. Qd2 $6 {this would allow Black to get in the ... e5 break for free, although I did not understand the idea myself at the time.} (14. Be3 Qc7 $11) 14... Qb6 (14... e5 {and now White's nice pawn center is disrupted. For example} 15. dxe5 Qxd2 16. Bxd2 Nd7 {and the advanced e-pawn will fall.}) 15. Rad1 Rad8 16. Be3 Qc7 {a repetition of moves would occur if White now played Bf4. Black's position is solid, but there is no obvious winning strategy to pursue.} 17. Qe2 {White correctly chooses to reposition his queen.} h6 {a prophylatic move that prevents intrusion on g5.} 18. e5 { although White gets more space, this simply drives the knight to a better square.} Nfd5 19. Bd2 $6 {blocking the defender of the d-pawn.} (19. Bc1 Rd7 $11) 19... Nc2 {This was the best move, but I calculated the follow-up incorrectly. I only saw after the the move the intermediate capture on d5 and then thought that after cxd5, White has Rc1 pinning and winning the knight.} 20. Nxd5 Rxd5 $2 {a hallucination from my incorrect calculation of the consequences of cxd5; I stopped calculating the variation too soon, once I spotted the knight would be pinned against the queen and could not be saved.} ( 20... exd5 {did not look good either, due to Bxa5 winning a pawn with the discovered attack on the Nc2. I thought the rook capture made in the game would at least complicate things for White, but I missed the bishop retreat on move 22 cutting off the knight.}) (20... cxd5 {in fact works, however, although I was unable to visualize it and simply assumed that there was no way to rescue the knight.} 21. Rc1 (21. Bxa5 Qxa5 22. Qxc2 Rc8 {and White picks up the a-pawn.}) 21... Rc8 22. Qd1 Nxe1 $1 {this desperado tactic gives Black at least equality, according to the engine.} 23. Rxc7 Nxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Rxc7 { and Black has two rooks for the queen, in a position well suited for them (domination of the c-file, limited attacking prospects for the queen).}) 21. Bxd5 $18 Nxe1 (21... exd5 22. Bxa5 $1 {Decoy: a5} Qxa5 23. Qxc2 $18) 22. Be4 { after this, which dominates the knight's escape squares, I try to play actively in hopes of a swindle, although I recognized the game was lost. My opponent played coolly and carefully to bring home the point.} f5 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Qxe1 Rf8 25. Bxa5 Qf4 26. Bb4 Rd8 {by this point I could have resigned.} 27. Qe3 Qh4 28. Bc5 Bg5 29. Qf3 b6 30. Bxb6 Rf8 31. Bh7+ $1 {nicely seen by my opponent.} Kxh7 32. Qxf8 1-0

Annotated Game #145: Imbalance and attack

The following sixth-round tournament game revolved around the strategic imbalance between Black's queenside pressure and White's central/kingside dominance.  Out of the opening, Black had a small plus and the initiative, but a relatively complicated unforced sequence starting on move 16 led to me winning a pawn and establishing the structural imbalance.  During the game I was worried about Black mobilizing his queenside majority (including an advanced passed c-pawn), but my central pawn roller and kingside attack - helped by an opened h-file - were decisive, developing too quickly for Black to develop any counterplay.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class B"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A17"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2013.01.21"] [EventRounds "7"] {A17: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...Bb4 A17: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with . ..Bb4} 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 {here Black could opt for a Nimzo-Indian structure with ...Bb4, but I felt (correctly) that he would go instead for a QGD one.} d5 4. e3 {thanks to analyzing my own games, my past weakness in QGD structures prompted me to come up with the following solid approach.} Be7 5. b3 c5 6. Bb2 Nc6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. d4 {my opponent appeared surprised by this. He likely thought that if I was going to play d4, I would have done so earlier. Here it is necessary to stop the advance of the Black d-pawn and it exerts control over e5.} b6 $146 {this prevents White from getting a classic IQP structure versus Black after dxc5, but also has its drawbacks, namely leaving the Nc6 unprotected by a pawn.} (8... O-O {is normally played here.} 9. Be2 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bc5 $11) 9. Bb5 Bb7 10. Ne5 {the engine considers this a bit hasty, preferring to develop with O-O or Rc1.} Qc7 11. Qf3 {at the time, I felt this was a key benefit of being able to get in Ne5. White's queen is well-placed to pressure d5 and has an open field on the kingside.} O-O 12. Nxc6 {my intent here was to exchange off two pairs of minor pieces and then take on c5, followed by pressuring the Black c- and d-pawns as much as possible. However, I did not carry the plan through, due to a lack of confidence. The engine assesses it as the best choice.} (12. Nxd5 $2 {trying to grab the pawn fails to} Nxd5 13. Qxd5 Nxd4 $1) 12... Bxc6 13. O-O (13. Bxc6 Qxc6 14. dxc5 bxc5 $11) 13... Bb7 {Black now avoids the bishop exchange.} 14. Rac1 a6 $15 { by this point Black has a small positional plus and the initiative.} 15. Bd3 c4 {Black mobilizes his queenside pawn majority, but neither he nor I saw the full consequences of this decision immediately.} 16. Ne2 {I had planned this move when retreating the bishop to d3. I was relying on the c-file pin to help me resolve the situation; Black does me a favor and immediately goes wrong.} ( 16. Bb1 $15 {is a simpler way to handle the threat.}) 16... Qd6 $2 {leaving the Bb7 undefended, although there is a partial tactical justification for this.} (16... b5 {is the straightforward way to play, reinforcing c4.} 17. Ng3 Bd6 18. bxc4 bxc4 $15) 17. bxc4 $14 {only afterwards did I see that Black could in fact retake with the d-pawn. The resulting sequence creates a huge strategic imabalance, however, ultimately to White's favor.} (17. Bxc4 { is the simpler and more effective move. For example} dxc4 18. Qxb7 cxb3 19. axb3 Rfb8 20. Qc7 $16) 17... dxc4 {with White's bishop now hanging as well, Black at first appears OK, but I can now gain a clear advantage.} 18. Bxh7+ { this is good for White, although taking on b7 is even better, according to the engine. I felt that the open h-file was even more important than the material.} (18. Qxb7 cxd3 19. Nf4 $16 {and now Black's d-pawn will eventually fall.}) 18... Kxh7 19. Qxb7 {we now have an interesting imbalance with the pawn structure. White dominates in the center and has an extra pawn, but Black's queenside majority has a lot of potential if mobilized and the c-pawn is more advanced. Komodo 8 assesses that Black has partial compensation for the pawn after an immediate ...b5, consolidating the structure.} Rfb8 $6 {this simply drives White's queen to a better square.} (19... b5 20. Ng3 (20. Qf3 Qd5 $14) 20... g6 21. Qf3 $14) 20. Qf3 $16 b5 21. e4 {I felt a strategic imperative to mobilize my central forces and attack both in the center and on the kingside, as the queenside is already effectively lost.} (21. Nf4 $5 {might be a good preparatory move for e4, getting the knight into play.}) 21... Qb4 $2 {Black had to avoid the pawn fork on e5, but this leads to ruin. During the game, of course, this was not immediately clear, but I felt that Black had over-committed to the queenside and that my attack would come first.} (21... Qe6 22. Ng3 Qg4 $16) 22. Bc3 $18 {this appeared to be a bit of a surprise to my opponent, although it seems to be a logical move. Perhaps he saw that he could then win the a-pawn; by this point, however, the material lost is not important. Black's queen gets walled off from the action and White's attack rolls forward.} Qa3 23. e5 {I keep up the forcing play, gaining tempi and not allowing Black breathing room.} Nd7 $2 {a simple blunder that essentially decides the game immediately, although Black's life would have been very difficult in any case. Black's king is far too exposed and Black's pieces are too far away to help defend it.} (23... b4 {praying for a miracle} 24. exf6 Bxf6 25. Nf4 $18 {and now if} bxc3 26. Rxc3 Qe7 27. Nd5) (23... Ng8 24. Qf5+ Kh8 25. Qxf7 $18) 24. Qf5+ {I immediately spotted the queen fork.} Kg8 25. Qxd7 {with the extra material in hand, I no longer had to worry as much about the outcome, although I continued to play carefully.} Rd8 (25... Bg5 {hardly improves anything, notes the engine.} 26. Rc2 Bh6 27. e6 $18) 26. Qg4 Qxa2 { perhaps Black thought I would try to trap the queen after this, but it has an out on d3.} 27. e6 {the biggest threat is now d5 with a mate threat to g7.} Rd5 {this blocks the pawn advance for the moment, but just loses differently.} 28. exf7+ Kf8 29. Nf4 {bringing the knight into the attack with tempo. Now there is no way out for Black, as White has too many ways to break through.} Rd6 30. d5 Bf6 31. Bb4 Kxf7 32. Bxd6 Re8 33. Qg6+ (33. Qg6+ Kg8 34. Qxe8+ Kh7 35. Qg6+ Kh8 36. Rce1 Qxf2+ 37. Rxf2 Be5 38. Bxe5 a5 39. Qxg7#) 1-0

So who actually trains chess?

Not that many people, according to a recent, somewhat provocative and perceptive Streatham & Brixton chess blog.

I have to admit that upon first impression, I considered the post to be in the tiresome naysayer category regarding adult chess improvement.  That said, I further have to admit that they're probably right, at least in terms of the average tournament chessplayer.  I recently attended a chess event where it was apparent that serious training was not really part of anyone's agenda, including the idea of systematically learning from your mistakes (or even just learning).  Nothing wrong with just enjoying things, of course, and perhaps sometimes wishing you were better.  But as Mark Twain said, "Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."

I've posted several times before on the general topic and continue to consider the time/energy factor as paramount in explaining rating advancement (the visible aspect of improving your playing strength).  The strong, rapidly advancing tween and teen (or younger) players typically sink several hours a day into systematically organized studies, often with professional-level coaches who guide their progress, for a period of years.  Adults with jobs and other responsibilities (again, typically) simply don't have that kind of time or energy. (Even if you believe Michael de la Maza's story of how he advanced rapidly, that was in the context of an extended spell of unemployment and nothing else to do.)  In addition, the fact that kids can learn more rapidly than adults due to their brains' neural structures (i.e. their greater plasiticity) is certainly a benefit for them, but is too often cited as a cop-out for adult learning.

For those of us with a mix of responsibilities and other life interests, I think the best we can shoot for is to designate around an average of 30 minutes - 1 hour per day for mindful study, surge around tournament time or when we have more time, energy and motivation available, and take meaningful breaks from chess when necessary to clear our heads.  This all should be doable, although it still takes discipline and commitment.

Annotated Game #144: Who deserves to win?

This fifth-round tournament game saw my opponent apply a great deal of sustained pressure and he clearly felt as if he missed a win.  To my benefit, he kept playing for winning chances past the point where he had any real threats and ended up in a losing endgame.  I was then able to finish him off shortly after the time control using two tactical maneuvers, which I credit my tactics training for allowing me to find and have the confidence to employ.

During the game I generally shared the perception of White having had all the chances.  White certainly held the initiative for a long period, but with careful defense I was able to neutralize all of his threats; analysis shows that White after his move 14 never had a real advantage.  My own negative perception of the game stemmed largely from some poor choices I made in the opening, essentially boxing in my own pieces unnecessarily (particularly the queen and the poor bishop on c8).  In the end, however, it was the reality on the board that determined the winner.  This is a good general lesson for when you are the defender in a game; simply because you are on the defense does not mean your game is bad, and you should not miss a chance to strike a winning counterblow.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B14"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "93"] [EventDate "2013.01.20"] [EventRounds "7"] {B14: Caro-Kann: Panov-Botvinnik Attack with 5...e6 and 5...g6} 1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bf4 {a new move to me. Normally development continues with Nf3 first, with perhaps Bg5 to follow.} Bd6 { challenging the bishop directly seemed the best option at the time.} (6... Bb4 {is what is played the majority of the time in the database.} 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 O-O 9. Nge2 a6 10. a3 Be7 11. Qd3 b5 12. Qf3 Ra7 13. Bd3 Rd7 14. Rd1 Bb7 15. Qh3 Nc6 16. O-O g6 17. Be5 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. Nd4 Bc4 21. Qf3 {Mateo,R (2484)-San Segundo Carrillo,P (2542) Donostia 2008 0-1 (31)}) 7. Bg3 {this surprised me a bit, but it seems like a principled retreat.} O-O $11 {a perfectly reasonable move, but now out of the database. Black has equalized without any trouble.} 8. Nf3 Bxg3 {perhaps premature and certainly giving White the idea of the kingside attack down the h-file. I was concerned about White dominating the e5 square after an eventual Ne5.} (8... Nc6 {simple development should be fine here.}) 9. hxg3 Nbd7 $6 {this is too slow and an unnecessary way to develop the knight. Nc6 would have left the d7 square open and also allowed the knight to be transferred via e7 to g6 for defense.} 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Ne5 {White now dominates the e5 square and Black cannot take immediately due to the threat to h7.} g6 $6 {the wrong way to defend h7.} ( 11... h6 12. Be2 $11) 12. O-O-O dxc4 {I played this with the idea that it would help free Black's game by opening the c-file. However, White's bishop goes to a useful square and his rooks are connected, giving him a slight plus.} (12... a6 {is a superior way of executing the plan, taking away the b5 square first and also preparing ...b5 as an advance. For example} 13. Bd3 dxc4 14. Nxc4 (14. Bxc4 b5 15. Bd3 Bb7 $15) 14... Qc7 $11) 13. Bxc4 Qe7 {with the idea of moving it to g7 for defense and some potentially useful pressure on the long diagonal. However, it effectively boxes the queen in and does nothing to pressure White.} (13... a6 14. Bd3 Qc7 $14) 14. Rh6 $6 {this allowed me to get in the following sequence, which rids me of the problem of the Ne5.} (14. Qd2 { looks good for White, with a much better diagonal for the queen to use to generate threats.}) 14... Nxe5 $11 15. dxe5 Ng4 {the points of the sequence.} 16. Rh4 Nxe5 {White has full compensation for the pawn with superior development and potential threats on the h-file, but this is still a great improvement for Black, who at least has some material on his side now.} 17. Rdh1 {here I considered moving the f-pawn, which would have defended h7 with the queen. The engine supports moving the h-pawn, however.} h5 18. Be2 { threatening to sacrifice on h5 for the breakthrough.} f5 {played after some intense thought. The f5 pawn now blocks the White queen's access.} 19. Kb1 { a prudent move that takes the king away from the potential check on g5, although White currently could play f4 in response, forking the queen and knight.} Qg7 {necessary to protect the g6 pawn and h8 in some variations.} ( 19... Bd7 20. f4 Nf7 21. g4 $11) 20. f4 {this would have been a bit more effective earlier. Played now, I felt this let me off the hook, to a large extent, allowing the next knight move. Advancing pawns always leave weaknesses behind them.} (20. f3 $5 $11) 20... Ng4 {White now has no prospect of forcing his way through.} 21. Bxg4 fxg4 (21... hxg4 $4 {obviously bad to re-open the h-file, for example} 22. Qd2 b5 23. Qd6 $18 {threatening Qe5 to exchange off the defending Qg7 and penetrating with the rooks on the h-file.}) 22. Qb3 Qf7 { breaking the pin.} 23. Nb5 Qf5+ (23... Rd8 {would be better played immediately, defending against the fork threat.} 24. Ka1 e5 25. Qxf7+ Kxf7 26. fxe5 Rd2 27. Rf1+ Ke7 $19 {with a significant endgame advantage.}) 24. Ka1 $11 Rd8 { protecting against the knight forks on c7 and d6} 25. Nc7 Rb8 {here White could have forced a draw by repetition, but was frustrated by his previous inability to break through and kept playing for winning chances.} 26. Re1 $2 { the added pressure on e6 is illusory, due to White's back-rank problem.} (26. Na6 Ra8 27. Nc7 Rd3 $11) 26... Bd7 {this holds equality, but the engine finds a better and more dynamic way of playing, forcing an exchange of queens into a winning endgame (see below variation). Black's undeveloped queenside is painful and at the time I was focused on getting the piece into play.} (26... Qd3 {and Black has the better game.} 27. Rhh1 (27. Qxd3 $2 Rxd3 28. Rhh1 Rxg3 29. Rd1 Rxg2 30. Rd8+ Kf7 $19 {and Black's kingside pawns are winners.}) 27... Qxb3 28. axb3 Kf7 $17) 27. Re5 {White continues to make a series of one-move threats, which however are easily parried.} Qf7 28. Rh1 (28. Nxe6 $2 {does not work out well for White:} Re8 29. Nc5 Qxb3 30. axb3 Rxe5 31. fxe5 Bc6 {and Black will win back either the g- or e-pawns, with a winning endgame.}) 28... Bc6 {this was not played to threaten the g2 pawn per se, but rather to free Black's game, untangle his pieces and get the bishop into the fight.} 29. Qxe6 $2 {the possibilities for capturing on e6 were complex. My opponent chose the wrong way to do it, leading to the loss.} (29. Nxe6 $5 {would be equal.} Rd6 30. f5 Bxg2 31. Rc1 gxf5 32. Rc7 Rc6 $1 $11) 29... Rd2 $17 {a key move to activate Black's rooks and raise some threats in White's backyard. White no longer has any good choices.} 30. Rhe1 (30. f5 {is inferior, but might have given my opponent the best practical chances.} Qxe6 31. fxe6 Rc8 32. e7 Rxc7 33. e8=Q+ Bxe8 34. Rxe8+ Kg7 {is for example winning for Black, but I might have gone wrong somewhere in the sequence.}) 30... Rbd8 {threatening the back-rank mate on d1.} 31. Qxf7+ {exchanging the queens allows Black to simplify into a winning position more easily, although White had no other real threats left.} Kxf7 $19 32. Re7+ Kf8 {played carefully by me. Now Ne6 does not work due to Kxe7 and White has no useful discovered checks afterwards with the knight.} (32... Kf6 {is no doubt what my opponent was hoping for.} 33. R1e6+ Kf5 34. Rf7#) 33. Kb1 Rd1+ 34. Kc2 {White realizes that exchanging rooks means the end of any counterplay and the probable loss of the g2 pawn. However, Black is now able to accomplish this anyway, on better terms for him.} R8d2+ 35. Kc3 Rd3+ (35... Rxg2 {can in fact be played immediately.} 36. Rxd1 Rxg3+ 37. Kd4 Kxe7 $19) 36. Kb4 (36. Kc4 Rxe1 37. Rxe1 Rxg3 38. Ne6+ Kg8 $19) 36... Rxe1 37. Rxe1 Rxg3 {I now pick up this extra pawn and the g2 pawn is still doomed, leaving me with a simple winning strategy of advancing the kingside pawns..} 38. Ne6+ Kg8 39. Ng5 Rxg2 40. Re6 {even if White takes the g6 pawn, Black can simply run the h-pawn in to victory, as the queening square is controlled by the Bc6.} Rxb2+ 41. Ka3 (41. Kc3 {does not improve anything} Rxa2 42. Rxg6+ Kf8 $19) 41... Rxa2+ $1 {I spot this tactic after some thought, having made time control and under less pressure. The point is that after Kxa2, the Re6 is lost due to the bishop fork on d5 and White's knight cannot stop the kingside pawns by itself.} 42. Kb4 {White avoids the sequence, but ends up quickly lost anyway.} (42. Kxa2 Bd5+ 43. Kb1 Bxe6 44. Nxe6 h4 $19) 42... Ra4+ 43. Kc5 Rxf4 44. Rxg6+ Kh8 {this next sequence required some careful calculation, but it helped knowing that the knight and rook by themselves (i.e. with no obstructions in the path of the Black king) cannot mate.} (44... Kf8 $4 45. Ne6+) 45. Rh6+ Kg7 46. Rxh5 Kg6 {recognizing the possibility of this king fork during my earlier calculations is a direct result of my tactics training.} 47. Ne6 {and my opponent resigned shortly after making the move, seeing that the situation was hopeless.} 0-1

Annotated Game #143: Playing against your own defense is hard

In this fourth-round tournament game, I faced my own defense and did poorly in the opening as a result.  Not because the defense itself is overpowering, but because I was not well prepared to play against it either technically or emotionally.  I believe this is something common to chessplayers, especially amateurs, when we over-identify with a particular opening setup and invest it with emotional qualities.  Professionals often can play both sides of their favorite openings with virtuosity; for example, in the modern era Kramnik is often cited in this context.

As the game progressed, I managed to achieve equality via a strategic piece exchange, but then made another classic amateur error, that of assuming opening play was "safe" and moves made on principle would be sufficient, rather than always closely examining possible tactics and falsifying my moves.  This is a lesson that I have been presented with multiple times and need to take to heart for the future.

The other major lesson I take away from this game is to play out every endgame and not to give up on them.  Despite my opponent being a pawn up for most of the game, I was savvy enough to reach drawing positions, but let myself be affected by the accumulated pressure and repeated threats, eventually losing as a result.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "ChessAdmin"] [Black "Class A"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D13"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini/Komodo 8"] [PlyCount "118"] [EventDate "2013.01.20"] [EventRounds "7"] {D13: Slav Defence: Exchange variation without ...Bf5} 1. c4 c6 {I dislike playing against my own defenses and did not have a good opening line against it.} 2. Nf3 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. d4 (6. d3 {would be more in the spirit of White's play so far and significantly more solid.}) 6... Bf5 7. O-O e6 {by this point, Black has three pieces developed to White's two, along with a better-supported pawn center. Clearly the opening is a failure for White.} 8. a3 {I was worried about the various threats revolving around the b4 square, most immediately Nc6-b4-c2.} Be7 9. Nh4 $146 {this is a standard type of maneuver to exchange off the powerful light-square bishop, now that e6 has been played.} Bg6 $11 (9... Be4 10. Nc3 $15) 10. Nxg6 hxg6 { White has the pair of bishops, comments Houdini via the Fritz interface. This is the factor that gives White equality.} 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 $6 {the result of thinking only positionally in an unfamiliar opening; I failed to falsify the move, believing everything was safe. The advantage of "book" lines is that they are (or should be) free of tactical worries and surprises. Here the d4 pawn is not adequately protected and the bishop move also leaves b2 unprotected, leading to Black's next move.} (12. b4 Qb6 $11) 12... Qb6 $15 13. Bxf6 {after a long think, I decide that the inadvertent pawn sacrifice means that White should attempt to get compensation via a kingside attack, calculating the sequence until move 17.} gxf6 14. e3 Qxb2 15. Na4 (15. Qd3 $5 $15) 15... Qb5 16. Rb1 Qa6 $17 17. h4 {Black's forces are more oriented toward the queenside and White can press an attack using the h-file. However, White's resources are also limited and take time to bring into play.} b6 {Consolidates c5, notes the engine.} 18. Kh2 {this idea, involving bringing the rook to h1, is too slow.} (18. Re1 $5 {might be a viable alternative}) (18. h5 $5) 18... Kg7 19. Rh1 Rh8 20. Bf1 {the bishop was doing nothing on g2 and can now be redeployed with tempo.} Qb7 21. Qd3 {defending the a3 pawn. Tactically this was not completely necessary, as the following variation shows.} (21. Nc3 Na5 ( 21... Bxa3 22. Qa4 Be7 23. Ba6 Qd7 24. Kg2 $15) 22. a4 $17) 21... Bd6 (21... g5 {is more to the point, with White's king still on the h-file.}) 22. Kg2 { White needed to play this anyway, so Black's pin on g3 and threat to capture the h4 pawn was irrelevant. The bishop might be better suited to defense on e7, although it's difficult to tell; the move also clears the square for the knight.} Ne7 (22... Na5 $5 $17 {heading for c4.}) 23. Be2 Rac8 24. Nc3 { I turn my attention to reactivating the other minor piece. By this point my position is looking in better shape, although with little compensation for the loss of the pawn.} f5 25. Nb5 Bb8 26. a4 {by this point I didn't see any real chance of a kingside breakthrough, so turned my strategy back to the queenside. White has a space advantage and perhaps can generate some pressure there.} (26. Nc3 {is an interesting idea from the engine. The point is that the a6-f1 diagonal is opened up and White would do well to place his queen or bishop on a6 in order to target c8. This idea will resurface later in the game.}) 26... Ng8 27. Qa3 Nf6 28. Nd6 {this was the point of the Qa3 maneuver for me, although it turns out to be a bad idea.} (28. a5 $5) 28... Bxd6 29. Qxd6 Qc7 { forcing White to exchange of queens, otherwise Black penetrates on the c-file. However, this is reasonably good for White.} (29... Ne4 $5 {is what Black should play.} 30. Qb4 Rc2 $17) 30. Qxc7 $15 Rxc7 31. Ba6 {the key move in this position, as Black is now stymied on the c-file and cannot push the queenside pawns. White may have a draw here.} Re8 32. Rhc1 {the obvious rook move, but perhaps not the best. "It's always the wrong rook"} Ree7 33. Kf1 $6 { essentially the losing move. Psychologically this came at a moment of relief and I did not feel that Black had any obvious threats.} (33. f3 {would have been a prophylactic move. I had briefly considered this, but ruled it out based on a vague consideration of potential future weaknesses on the third rank.}) (33. Bd3 $5) 33... Ne4 $17 {now the knight fork threat on d2 and various alternate forking possibilities (for example on c3) dominate the game and White is forced to make concessions.} 34. Ke1 Kf8 35. a5 {I saw that a Black breakthrough on the c-file would be inevitable once the king makes it over to protect c7, so I decided to give Black two rook pawns in the hopes that they could be contained in the later endgame. This also keeps White's rook more active.} (35. Bd3 Rxc1+ 36. Rxc1 Ke8 37. a5 {is another variation of the idea, perhaps better, due to the bishop placement.}) 35... bxa5 36. Rb8+ $2 {in this case, ignoring the chance to pick up the rook pawn is the wrong move. I was too focused on the c-file.} (36. Ra1 $5 $17 {has some apparent merit, comments Houdini via the Fritz interface.}) 36... Kg7 $19 37. Rc8 {this was the idea behind the rook check. It works out all right in practice, but Black could have significantly improved.} (37. Rd1 $19) 37... Rxc1+ {this is what I had expected.} (37... Rxc8 {and Black is on the road to success, states the engine.} 38. Rxc8 a4 39. Rc1 a3 40. Bd3 Rb7 41. Ra1 Rb3 42. Bc2 Rc3 $19) 38. Rxc1 $17 {I had seen this far when playing a5 and was reasonably content with the position. Black does not give up his will to win, however, and starts pushing on the kingside.} f6 (38... a4 39. Ra1 $17) 39. Bd3 {done with the intent of trading off the dominant knight. I did not see how Black could make real progress on the kingside afterwards.} Kh6 40. Bxe4 (40. Ra1 $5 g5 $15) 40... fxe4 $15 {we now enter a rook endgame where I should have some drawing chances.} 41. Ra1 $2 {this would have been the right move earlier. Unfortunately, now that circumstances have changed, Black has threats on the kingside.} g5 $17 42. hxg5+ (42. Rxa5 gxh4 43. gxh4 $19 {White cannot protect the h-pawn and Black will eventually be able to create another passed pawn.}) 42... Kxg5 $19 43. Kf1 e5 $2 {weakening the position} (43... Kg4 {should be winning.} 44. Kg2 a6 $19 {as if} 45. Rxa5 Ra7 46. Ra2 a5) 44. Rxa5 $11 Rd7 $15 45. Kg2 {played due to fears of Black's king penetrating decisively into g2.} ( 45. dxe5 {helps White's cause.} fxe5 46. Ke1 $11) (45. Ke1 {or Ke2 should also hold.}) 45... exd4 46. exd4 $11 f5 47. Rc5 $6 {this simply removes the threat on the a-pawn. White should instead centralize his king.} (47. f3 Kg6 $11) (47. Kf1) 47... f4 $15 48. gxf4+ Kxf4 49. Rc8 {Here I felt I had run out of good options.} (49. Rc6 $5) 49... e3 50. Rf8+ $2 {this loses.} (50. Re8 $11 { this seems obvious in retrospect, cutting off the king and eliminating the advanced pawn.}) 50... Ke4 $19 {now the game is essentially over.} 51. Re8+ Kxd4 52. fxe3+ Kc4 $2 {this gives White some hope.} (52... Kd3 53. Kf2 Rf7+ 54. Ke1 Rf3 $19) 53. e4 $2 {I still stubbornly refuse to centralize my king, hoping that Black will somehow miss the winning move.} (53. Kf2 $15 {is a viable option}) 53... d4 $19 {now Black is back on track for the win.} 54. Rc8+ Kd3 55. e5 Re7 56. Ra8 Ke2 57. Kg3 d3 58. Rb8 d2 59. Rb2 Ke1 (59... Ke1 60. Rb1+ d1=Q 61. Rxd1+ Kxd1 62. Kf4 a5 63. Kf5 a4 64. Kf6 Rxe5 65. Kxe5 a3 66. Kd5 a2 67. Ke4 Kc2 68. Kf4 a1=Q 69. Kf5 Qa6 70. Kg5 Qe6 71. Kf4 Kd3 72. Kf3 Qe4+ 73. Kg3 Ke2 74. Kh2 Qg4 75. Kh1 Kf3 76. Kh2 Qg2#) 0-1