[Event "Rated Classical game"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.03.09"] [Round "?"] [White "Burrows, Nick"] [Black "Martinez-Sykora, Antonio"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A14"] [WhiteElo "2084"] [BlackElo "2155"] [Annotator "peter"] [PlyCount "46"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.03.01"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. b3 (6. d4 {The last chance to reach a Catalan}) 6... c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 (7... exd5 {is also playable and equally popular}) 8. Bb2 Bf6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Qc1 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 e5 12. d3 Qe7 13. Re1 Be6 14. Nd2 Rac8 15. Ne4 Nd4 16. e3 (16. Nxf6+ {was perhaps the most obvious move} gxf6 {this gives rise to an interesting position in which to shift the knight White will have to play e3 which has the drawback of weakening d3. Balanced against this White has dynamic possibilites based upon f4 and a shift of the queen to the kingside. The engine even recomnends the immediate 17.Qh6 offerering an exchange to Nc2 and prefers White, though a human would do well to accurately assess that at the board.} (16... Qxf6 $2 17. Bxb7 $16)) 16... Nc6 {This knight does not actually have to move as exd4 is met by cxd4 and the bishop on c3 is pinned. But the move is fine and opens the d-file now that d3 is weakened.} 17. Qc2 Rfd8 18. a3 Nd4 {Now that b3 is weakened, Antonio returns the knight using the pin theme on the c-file. Having previously (seemingly at least) driven the knight fron d4 with 16.e3, this move may have taken White by surprise. It can be difficult to react to shocks at the board and in this case White went wrong immediately and his game soon collapsed.} 19. exd4 $2 {the worst of the plausible responses} (19. Qb2 Nxb3 20. Rad1 b5 21. f4 {allows White to fight e.g.} b4 22. fxe5 bxc3 23. exf6 cxb2 24. fxe7) (19. Bxd4 cxd4 20. Qd2 b6 (20... Bxb3 21. Rab1 Rc2 22. Qd1 Qxa3 ( 22... Qe6 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Qh5 {again with counterplay}) 23. Nxf6+ gxf6 24. Qg4+ {with counterplay}) 21. b4 {looks playable}) 19... cxd4 $17 20. Qa2 dxc3 21. Bf1 (21. Rac1 a5 22. Qa1 Rxd3 23. Bf1 Rdd8 24. Rxc3 Rxc3 25. Qxc3 {leaves Black a clear pawn up but White is still on the board}) 21... a5 $19 {now the b-pawn comes under fire.} 22. a4 (22. Qb1 Qc7 {intending Qb6 and/or c2 e.g.} 23. Rc1 c2 24. Qb2 (24. Nxf6+ gxf6 25. Qb2 Qc3) 24... Be7 25. Ra2 a4 26. Nd2 axb3 27. Nxb3 Qc3 $19) (22. Rac1 a4 23. Rxc3 Rxc3 24. Nxc3 Bxb3 25. Qb2 g6 { with an extra pawn, the bishop pair and a bind, this should be winning}) 22... Qb4 23. Rab1 c2 0-1