This other recurring theme in the game is the role that mental states played on both sides - tiredness and (in my case) stubbornness in refusing to get depressed and concede defeat even when significantly down. This was a rather exhausting struggle to draw for me, so even if it wasn't fully deserved, I felt it was a good result. In practical terms, my refusal to give up and my constantly looking for ways to impede my opponent were things that paid off in the end.
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Class A"]
[Black "ChessAdmin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A00"]
[Annotator "ChessAdmin/Komodo 9.3"]
[PlyCount "113"]
{A00: Irregular Openings} 1. b4 d5 2. Bb2 Nf6 {I'd be happy to have White
exchange on f6. The doubled pawn would still be relatively strong, helping
control e5, and White's strong bishop would be gone.} 3. e3 Bg4 {f5 is a more
popular square for the bishop, but the text move scores equally well (around
56 percent).} 4. Nf3 e6 5. a3 Bd6 {this can't be bad, although ...Nbd7,
preparing ...c5, may be better.} 6. Be2 O-O 7. d3 {now out of the database.
The only other (2) games featuring this line saw White castle here. My
opponent postpones this for several moves.} c5 {here I have the right basic
idea - target the advanced b-pawn - but perhaps go about it the wrong way. It
is more principled to undermine it from the flank.} (7... a5 8. b5 Nbd7) 8. c3
{passing up the chance to exchange favorably on c5.} (8. bxc5 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Nc6
$11) 8... a6 {this is too slow, Black would do better to develop a piece.} 9.
Nbd2 Nc6 {not the best square for the knight, in this position. Its influence
over d4 and b4 is not enough to help contest those squares, so it could do a
much better job from d7 of supporting e5 and c5.} 10. O-O Rc8 {with the
longer-term intention of opening up the c-file.} 11. Rc1 Re8 {with the idea of
supporting an e-pawn push.} 12. Re1 {White is strategically content to try and
contain or oppose my ideas, rather than come up with a more aggressive plan.}
b6 {again rather slow. I've now wasted two tempi on the a6/b6 advances.} (12...
Qe7 {would develop the queen to a good square and connect the rooks.}) 13. Qa4
$6 {a mistake, but one that is not obvious to punish.} (13. bxc5 bxc5 14. c4
$11) 13... e5 {here I decide to ignore White's queenside sortie and react in
the center. The engine agrees that offering the a-pawn is correct, although
there is a better idea available.} (13... b5 $5 {the engine finds this
alternative, which depends on a longer trapping White's queen.} 14. Qxa6 {
the obvious response, also threatening to capture the b-pawn.} (14. Qd1 c4 $17
{looks very good for Black, whose pawns thrust into White's queenside while
the pieces dominate the center and can threaten the kingside.}) 14... Qd7 {
preparing ...Ra8} 15. Qxb5 Ra8 16. bxc5 Reb8 $15 {the White queen can no
longer escape, but after eventually being exchanged for Black's rook, White
will be slightly down material but not lost.}) 14. h3 Bxf3 {an expedient
decision, but perhaps not ideal. White's queen placement makes the retreat to
d7 a more obvious choice. Exchanging on f3 in constrast helps activate White's
light-square bishop.} (14... Bd7 15. Qb3 h6 $15) 15. Nxf3 e4 16. dxe4 dxe4 17.
Nh2 $6 {this is in fact a major error, although again it was difficult to see
the way to best take advantage of it.} (17. Nd2 $11) 17... Qc7 18. Nf1 Ne5 {
a correct general idea, centralizing the knight and preparing ...c4, but this
gives White too much leeway and allows the next move, blocking the advance of
my c-pawn.} (18... c4 $5 {is the tactical way to implement the plan more
effectively.} 19. Qxa6 (19. Bxc4 $2 b5 20. Qxa6 bxc4 21. Qxc4 Ne5 22. Qxc7 Rxc7
23. Red1 Nd3 $17 {and Black's piece is significantly better than White's three
pawns.}) 19... Ne5 20. Rb1 Nd3 21. Bxd3 (21. Qa4 Ra8 22. Qd1 b5 $19) 21... exd3
22. Nd2 Ne4 $17 {Here Black is a pawn down, but White is effectively playing
without the Bb2, the Qa6 is dangerously exposed, and the passed protected pawn
on d3 is a big asset for Black.}) 19. c4 $11 cxb4 $6 {a poor decision. My
threats have now largely dissipated and I should at this point have thought
about shoring up the queenside, rather than continuing to leave the a-pawn
hanging.} (19... Ra8) 20. axb4 $14 Qe7 {making an obvious and not tactically
sound threat to the b-pawn.} 21. Red1 {now the b-pawn is tactically protected
(see below variation), something which I spot. Now it is clear that White has
the initiative and I must play more defensively.} Nfd7 $6 {sadly, the right
idea but the wrong knight. I did not want to move the centralized Ne5.} (21...
Bxb4 $2 {now the Qe7 is overloaded, being the sole protector of both the Ne5
and Bb4.} 22. Bxe5 Qxe5 23. Qxb4 $18) (21... Ned7 $16) 22. Qxa6 {obvious, but
this frees the Bd6 to take the b-pawn.} (22. Ng3 {this would be a somewhat
quiet but very effective move, getting the knight back into the game in a big
way and also threatening the e4 pawn.} Bxb4 23. Nf5 Qg5 24. Rxd7 $1 Nxd7 25.
Nxg7 $18) 22... Bxb4 $16 23. Qb7 {this allows me to almost equalize again.} (
23. Bxe5 Nxe5 24. Ng3 Nc6 25. Qb5 $16 {and Black is not going to be able to
support the e-pawn.}) 23... Nc5 $14 {this time the obvious move is the most
effective one.} 24. Qxe7 Rxe7 25. Rb1 Ba5 {anticipating the threat of Bxe5.}
26. Ba3 {Black has an active position} Rec7 {unfortunately here the obvious
move is not the best. I get the rook out of the pin and line up on the c-pawn.}
(26... g6 $11 {is a non-obvious move found by the engine. The point is to use
prophylaxis to defend against Ng3-f5 by White, while also preparing ...f5 if
necessary to protect the e4 pawn, and finally giving the Black king some space
off the back rank. In the game, I worried too much about the pin on the Nc5
knight, which does not have an immediate effect.}) 27. Rd5 (27. Ng3 $5) 27...
Ned3 {the obvious reaction, occupying the d3 outpost and setting up mutual
support with the Nc5.} 28. f3 {undermining the necessary support for the Nd3.
Here I fail to grasp that I can tactically swap the e-pawn for white's c-pawn.}
Ne1 $6 {this is far too cute a move and unnecessarily complicated.} (28... Na4
$5 29. Bxd3 (29. fxe4 {temporarily in fact wins a pawn, but White will be too
weak on the e-file to protect it in the long term.} Ndc5 30. Bxc5 Nxc5 31. e5
Re8 $11) 29... exd3 30. Rxd3 Rxc4 $11) 29. Bxc5 Rxc5 30. fxe4 {Opposite
coloured bishops appeared, notes Komodo via the Fritz interface. This will be
very important later on.} Re8 $2 {instead of the obvious alternative...} (30...
Nc2 $5 $14) 31. Rb5 (31. Rc1 $5) 31... Rxb5 32. cxb5 g6 {a good idea to remove
back-rank mating threats, although it would have been more effective played
earlier (see move 26). At this point, we move into the endgame phase, where
it's clear that White holds a full-pawn advantage and I will have to struggle
to try and achieve a draw. The fact that my opponent's e-pawns are doubled and
that we have opposite-color bishops give me some hope, however.} 33. e5 (33.
Nd2 Bb4 $16) 33... Bc3 {an obvious threat to the e5 pawn and a good way to
reactivate the bishop.} 34. Kf2 (34. Bc4 $5 Rxe5 35. Rd7 Kh8 36. Rxf7 $14)
34... Nc2 $11 {here the engine considers the position equal. I've managed to
get my minor pieces to better squares and have my rook placed better than
White's.} 35. Rd6 {White threatens to win material: Rd6xb6} Re6 $6 {an obvious
idea but not a good one. Luckily my opponent does not find the most effective
follow-up.} (35... Ba5 {here the bishop looks less active, but another way to
look at it is to see that it is negating the activity of White's rook, so the
bishop's placement on a5 is in fact best.} 36. Bd3 Ne1 37. Bc4 Rxe5 38. Rd7 $11
) 36. Rc6 (36. Rd8+ Kg7 37. Bg4 f5 38. exf6+ Rxf6+ 39. Ke2 Bb4 $16) 36... Rxc6
$11 37. bxc6 Bxe5 {this should now be a relatively easy draw.} 38. Nd2 Nb4 39.
Bb5 Nd5 (39... Kf8 $5 {the king needs to get into the game. Basic endgame
principle: centralize the king and get it into the action (in this case, over
on the c-file).}) 40. Nf3 Bd6 41. Bc4 Nc7 $2 {this is far too literal an
implementation of the idea of blockading the c-pawn. It also ignores the other
threat being set up, to the pinned f7 pawn, which should be obvious. However,
at this point in the game I was no longer doing an effective job of falsifying
my moves - something that often occurs when I am mentally tired.} (41... Nb4 $5
) 42. Ng5 $16 b5 {the best reaction.} 43. Bxf7+ Kf8 44. Bb3 {it was very
disappointing to me to be back to the position of being a pawn down in the
endgame. I nevertheless rallied and refused to give up.} h6 $2 (44... Be7 45.
Ne4 $16) 45. Ne4 {my opponent also was tired by this point, passing up a
(mostly obvious) chance to gain material.} (45. Nf7 $5 Ke7 46. Nxh6 $18 {
at this point I would have effectively been lost, being down two pawns and
with White able to create another passed pawn on the kingside.}) 45... Be5 46.
Ke2 Ke7 47. Kd3 Kd8 $6 {still thinking too literally about blockading the
c-pawn.} (47... Na6 48. Kd2 Nb8 49. Bd5 g5 $11) 48. Nc5 $16 Ke7 49. Nb7 {
The knight dominates, comments Komodo.} Kf6 {here I don't have much of a plan
and ignore potential maneuvering of my minor pieces.} (49... Na6 50. Ke4 Bc7
51. Bc2 Nb4 $14) 50. Ke4 Bc3 51. Kd3 {White is also starting to run out of
ideas, however.} (51. Bc2 Ke7 $16) 51... Be5 52. e4 {this looks aggressive,
but in fact makes White's job much more difficult, blocking the square for his
pieces and in effect strengthening the Be5. I'm now much closer to equality
again.} (52. Bd1 $5 $16) 52... Ne6 $2 (52... Na6 $5 $11) 53. Ke3 $6 (53. Bxe6 {
would be the best way to try and make progress, although it goes against the
general rule of not exchanging bishops for knights in an open position.} Kxe6 {
now White can work to transfer his king to the queenside, if necessary via
c2-b3.}) 53... Bf4+ $11 {due to White's last move, I can now seize the e3
square with tempo and get my king to e5.} (53... Nf4 54. Nc5 Ke7 55. Nd7 $16)
54. Kf3 Be5 $6 {unfortunately I don't recognize the correct idea (...Bc7
followed by ...Ke5), but my opponent is frustrated and unable to think of how
to make progress, so we end up with a draw.} 55. Ke3 (55. Bxe6 $5 Kxe6 56. Ke3
$16) 55... Bf4+ $14 {Twofold repetition} 56. Kd3 Be5 57. Ke3 1/2-1/2
