Chess is a game of geometry, something illustrated well by this round 2 game. An unusual but not unknown opening position is reached, but I make two decisions (on move 8 and move 10) which affect the long-term geometry of my position, specifically the weakening of the h-file and the difficulty I have in covering it. I eventually end up in a won endgame position after a wild middlegame, but again have a geometry fail on move 56 and miss the winning idea of an indirect exchange. Full credit to my opponent for hanging tough the entire time.
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| Move | N | Result | Elo | Players |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bd3 Bg4 4.f3 this directly opposes the early bishop sortie. Bh5 5.c4 e6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Nge2 the idea being to get to f4 and exchange off the bishop. 7.cxd5 is another way to play, getting the c-pawn exchanged for the e-pawn, which is also more dynamic. exd5 7...Nxd5 8.Nge2± with e4 coming 8.Qa4+ 8.Nge2 is the solid and less venturesome choice. 8...Nc6 9.Ba6!? is an interesting idea suggested by the engine. If bxa6 10.Qxc6+ and Black loses the right to castle, or material. For example Nd7?! 11.Qxd5+- 7...Bg6 successfully baiting me into exchanging, which is not at all best. 8.Bxg6 8.cxd5 is strong. exd5 9.Qa4+ Nc6 10.Ba6± is similar to the above variation. 8...hxg6= the half-open h-file will cause me problems later. 9.c5 this was a muddled threat to trap the bishop, which of course does not work, and gives up the idea of exchanging on d5. c6 this opens up a route back along the a5-d8 diagonal, or of course the bishop can exchange on c3. 10.Kf2?! this looks like a relatively natural move, but the geometry results in a weakened kingside. 10.0-0 10...Qc7 Here I really had no idea what was best, so simply covered down on the kingside. 11.Qg1 11.Bd2 and Black taking the h-pawn is actually better for White. Rxh2 12.Rxh2 12.e4! getting the central pawns rolling and threatening Bf4 is an even better idea. 12...Qxh2 13.Qb3 Bxc3 14.Bxc3 now White is threatening to trap the queen after Ng3 and Rh1. Qc7 15.Rh1± the open file and accessibility of Black's king more than compensate for the pawn. 11...e5 taking advantage of the obvious central pawn lever. Now I'm definitely a bit worse. 12.a3 here the sequencing matters. Playing Bd2 first would help equalize development. 12.Bd2 and if Bxc3 13.Bxc3= 12...Bxc3 13.Nxc3 Nbd7 14.b4 with Black's king still uncastled and him looking dangerous in the center and on the kingside, I wanted to press ahead and open things up on the queenside, if possible. 0-0-0 I felt this was something of a gift, as it makes my queenside counterplay more effective with the king as a more direct target. 14...0-0 would give up ideas of attacking down the h-file, but provide for a safe king position and allow Black to focus on his superior central play. 15.b5= I thought for a while here, ultimately concluding that I should quickly get on with counterplay. The engine validates the choice. Rh7 with the obvious plan of doubling rooks on the h-file. Now would be a great moment for me to either press the queenside counterplay or play a prophylactic defenseive move. However, I do neither, after some thought. 16.Bd2 simple development is good enough to maintain equality, but does not address the main needs of the position. 16.Rb1± is the logical follow-up to the previous move, preparing to force open the b-file to my advantage. 16.h3!? emphasizes safety first, but I had erroneously thought my opponent could take advantage of the weak g3 square. Nh5 17.bxc6 bxc6 18.Ne2± however covers it well. 16...Rdh8 17.bxc6 a good move, but this has much less punch without the Rb1 present. bxc6 18.Ne2?! the general idea of adding defense to the kingside is correct, but my flawed disposal of h2-h3 as a candidate move means that the defense is not optimal. However, Black does not use his central pawn lever, instead going for the flank. 18.h3 now White has defensive resources like Ne2 and Qf1 possible, among others. 18...g5 18...e4 causes the most problems. 19.Ng3 exf3 20.gxf3 g5 with ...g4 coming. The engine gives it as equal, but with difficult-to-find moves for White like h2-h4 immediately. 19.Qe1?! 19.Ng3 immediately is a much better idea, fighting for and blocking the b8-h2 diagonal. 19...g4 20.Ba5 this was the idea behind the queen move, but objectively does not cause enough problems for Black. 20.Rb1 I debated moving this first, which would have been an improved version of the idea, but then Black gets in ...gxf3 with advantage. 20...Qb7 forced 21.Rb1 Qa6-+ this is a somewhat awkward placement of the queen, but on the a6-f1 diagonal it still is doing very well, and I can't further attack it. 22.Ng3 now I am in trouble on the kingside, but my opponent does not open lines fast enough. g6 22...gxf3!-+ is the critical idea. 23.Qc3?! trying to generate some counterplay in the center, but this allows Black to break up the pawn shield. 23.f4!? did not occur to me at the time. exf4 24.exf4 Rxh2 25.Rxh2 Rxh2 26.Kg1= 23...exd4 24.exd4 Qc4?! this essentially loses a tempo for Black and allows me to immediately equalize. 25.Qb2= now threatening to penetrate on the b-file. Qb5?! going back to the status quo would probably be drawish, but here I could exchange into a won ending. 25...Qa6= 26.Qd2 intentionally keeping the queens on the board, thinking my attack would be better than Black's. From a practical standpoint, it does allow him to go wrong, but the same goes for myself. 26.Qxb5 cxb5 27.Rxb5+- and Rhb1 is the main threat, for example Rxh2 28.Rhb1 gxf3 29.Kxf3! I failed to see this at the time. Now Rb7! is unstoppable. 26...Qc4? now I'm winning, and in fact find the initial correct follow-up. 27.Rb4 Qa6 28.Rhb1 setting up mate threats, while the Ba5 is tactically protected. gxf3 Here I thought for a long time, considering the winning Qf4! but erroneously calculating that it did not work in the end, so I played the second best move. 28...Qxa5? 29.Rb8+ Nxb8 30.Qxa5+- 29.Kxf3 29.Qf4 the point is threating immediate mate on c7. Somehow I hallucinated a defense for Black. Qxa5?? 30.Rb8+ Nxb8 31.Rxb8+ Kd7 32.Qd6# I saw this but somehow miscounted the captures on b8. 29...Ne4 30.Qe1? a blunder, as I end up deciding I have to capture on e4 anyway. 30.Nxe4! dxe4+ 31.Kf2+- 30...Re8 30...Qd3+! is what I was most worried about and would have been decisive. 31.Nxe4 Qd3+ this allows for a defense, which I however do not find, having been under combined time and mental pressure. 32.Kf2? 32.Qe3! dxe4+ 33.Kf2+- 32...Rxe4-+ 33.Rd1 the best practical try, as well as the engine's choice. Of course I am still losing objectively. Qc2+?! 33...Qxa3-+ 34.Rd2? this has one flaw, but was in fact a decent practical choice. 34.Qd2= unfortunately did not occur to me in time pressure. 34...Rxe1 34...Ne5 would be very difficult to find over the board. 35.Rxc2 Nd3+ 36.Kg3 Rxe1-+ and White has to lose material to avoid getting mated. 35.Rxc2= Re4? 35...Ra1 36.Rcb2!+- now I should be winning again, with the threats renewed against Black's king. Rhh4 37.Rb7 this was the key move I had been looking to get in for a long time. Rhf4+ 38.Kg1 Rxd4 39.Rc7+ this should win, but I could have thought about safety first, since the situation was not going to change. 39.g3 creates "luft" and keeps the pressure on Black. 39...Kd8 40.Rxa7+ Ke7 and now I cannot find the winning idea, going for the easy check instead. 41.Re2+?! 41.g3 Rd1+ 42.Kg2 and now the threat of Rbb7 is decisive. 41...Rfe4= 42.Rxe4+ essentially forced. dxe4 43.Rc7 Rd5 44.Bb4 at this point the engine evaluates this as a draw. e3?! too aggressive, weakening the e-pawn. 45.Kf1 Ke8? 45...Rf5+ 46.Ke2 Rf2+ 47.Kxe3 Rxg2 48.Rxc6 Rxh2? 48...Ne5± 49.Ra6!+- the engine shows as winning for White, due to the advanced passed c-pawn. 46.Rxc6+- now I should be winning (again). Ne5 47.Rd6! forcing the rooks off. Rxd6 48.cxd6 Kd7 49.Ke2 f5 50.Kxe3 now this should be an easy win, but in time pressure I give Black an out, as he masterfully uses his knight to bamboozle me. Ng4+ 51.Kf4 Nxh2 52.Kg5 I am still winning here, but the fundamental idea is flawed. I try to play on the kingside rather than push my outside passed pawn. 52.a4! passed pawns must be pushed! 52...Ke6 53.Kxg6 Ng4 54.Kg5 Ne3 55.g3 Nd5 now my materialistic instincts doom this to a draw, as I am unwilling to tactically trade pawns. 56.Kg6?= 56.Bd2! Kxd6 57.Kxf5+- 56...f4 57.gxf4 Nxf4+ by this point I saw what was coming. 58.Kg5 Nd3 now White must lose the d-pawn and my king is too far away from the action, so Black's king will clean up. 59.Kg4 Nxb4 60.axb4 Kxd6 ½–½
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| White | EloW | Black | EloB | Res | ECO | Rnd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChessAdmin | - | Class C | - | ½–½ | D00 |
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