Annotated Game #278: If it is free, take it

In this third-round tournament game, ironically the first turning point is the free material that I did not take on move 19. The variations are slightly tricky, which were enough to confuse me at the time and deter me from taking the a-pawn, but they work out just fine in Black's favor. That was bad enough, but then I hung a piece for the second game in a row; this time my opponent had plenty of time on his clock and easily converted it. Boo.

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Move	N	Result	Elo	Players

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 dxc4 4.e3 b5 5.a4 b4 6.Nb1 Ba6 7.Nf3 Nf6 8.Qc2 e6 good enough for equality. 8...b3 would be a slightly better version, kicking the queen back first. 9.Qd1 e6 9.Bxc4 Bxc4 9...Bb7!? is an interesting idea, looking to play ...c5 next and open up the long diagonal for the bishop. 10.Qxc4 Qd5 this perhaps commits the queen too early. 10...Nbd7 11.Qxd5 cxd5= 12.Nbd2 Bd6 this looks very drawish now. 13.Nb3 Nbd7 13...a5 looks simpler. 14.Bd2 a5 15.0-0 0-0 played reflexively. We are close enough to the endgame and Black's king has solid protection in the center, so this is not necessary. 15...Nb6!? is more active, eyeing c4 and a4. 15...Ke7 would connect the rooks and also protect d6, which later becomes a key problem. 16.Rac1 Ne4 17.Rc6 this is annoying but not actually dangerous. Rfb8 bringing the other rook into play and controlling the b-file. 18.Rfc1 Nb6 Black should now have at least a small advantage, with the a4 pawn threatened and the knight looking to go to c4. 19.Be1 h6?! protecting against back-rank tactics, not a bad idea in itself, but it leaves by the waysdie the material on offer and a breakthrough on the queenside. 19...Nxa4! of course I saw this, but erroneously thought that White could simply recover the pawn. 20.Nxa5 20.Ra1 Nxb2 21.Rxa5 Rxa5 22.Nxa5 b3!-+ 20...Rxa5?? 20...Nxb2!-+ followed by an active retreat to d3 or c4 should win. 21.Rc8+ Rxc8 22.Rxc8+ Bf8 23.Bxb4+- 20.Nbd2 Nf6?? a hallucination triggered by poor calculating technique. Here I simply forget that the knight was backwards-protecting the Bd6. 20...Nxd2 20...Nxa4 21.Rxd6+- Nxa4 the position is certainly resignable now, but just in case of a reverse blunder I fight on. 22.b3 Nc3 23.Kf1 Kf8 24.Nb1 Nxb1 25.Rxb1 Rc8 26.Rb6 Ne4 27.Rb5 Rc2 28.Ra1 Rac8 29.Rbxa5 1–0

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White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res	ECO	Rnd

Class B

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ChessAdmin

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1–0

D15

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