[Event "WDCL Div 1"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.10.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Weedall, Ray"] [Black "Burriss, Nick"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A48"] [Annotator "Nick Burriss"] [PlyCount "104"] {[%evp 0,104,18,20,20,15,7,10,5,5,5,9,4,-5,16,34,30,0,13,4,-2,-1,0,18,11,6,4, 23,32,10,13,18,15,-14,-17,-22,-28,-26,-40,-27,-29,-66,-59,-56,-19,-9,-11,-15, -15,-15,-11,-56,-26,-14,0,-100,-24,-122,-120,-163,-148,-148,-160,-189,-114, -107,-111,-129,-44,-207,-215,-264,-296,-294,-329,-344,-324,-310,-313,-328,-329, -358,-368,-373,-380,-372,-434,-446,-468,-511,-511,-520,-520,-536,-579,-620, -713,-726,-634,-671,-1099,-791,-1380,-1389,-2574,-29985,-29986]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 {I'm not sure of the best set up against this unambitious opening, but as a committed 'Indian' player I opted for} g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 {I had expected 4. c3 reaching a Colle System position. Now I really was making it up as I went along} d5 5. h3 O-O 6. Bd3 Bf5 {This move, accepting doubled f-pawns and a weakened King position in exchange for a firm grip on e4, is fine in some opening set ups (eg Caro Kann Exchange Variation), but here it's simply wrong and hands White the initiative. 6.......Nbd7 or 6......c5 was much better} 7. Bxf5 gxf5 8. Ne5 {Qd3 attacking one of Black's pawn weaknesses is better} Nbd7 9. Qf3 e6 10. Nxd7 Qxd7 11. g4 {I had simply overlooked this nettlesome move. It's easy for Black to go badly wrong here and I thought for quite a while before playing} Kh8 {Not bad; but not the best. 11........Ne4 is slightly more accurate. But not 11.......fxg4? when all hell breaks loose on the K-side} 12. gxf5 {There was no need to hurry this. 12. Bd2 continuing development and connecting Rooks was the smart move.} exf5 13. Bd2 c6 {Shoring up my d-pawn and restricting the Knight on c3, but Black should have cracked on with contesting the g-file with 13......Rg8} 14. Rg1 Rg8 15. O-O-O Bh6 16. Rg3 { White's intention is obvious, but Black is now ready to trade blows on the g-file so re-routing the passive Knight via e2 was the right idea} (16. Ne2 Ne4 17. Nf4 $11) 16... Rg6 {Now I felt a while lot better about my prospects.} 17. Ne2 Rag8 18. Rdg1 Ne4 19. Rxg6 {As he played this move White muttered that he had no choice. But he did; R3g2 would have been an improvement on giving Black exactly what I wanted.} fxg6 {Objectively capturing towards the centre with 19. ......hxg6 might have been fractionally more accurate but I was delighted to be rid of my doubled isolated f-pawns.} 20. Nc3 {I couldn't figure out the point of this move. 20. h4 attempting to stir things up again on the K-side was better} Qe7 {20...Rf8 was more purposeful. The g-file has ceased to be of much interest.} 21. Nxe4 Qxe4 22. Qxe4 fxe4 {22. dxe4 was probably better but in any event I fancied this endgame where all the pawn weaknesses belong to White} 23. Kd1 {White offered a draw at this point, but inspired by my recent study of Saidy v Fischer 1964 I declined. I'm sure it is drawn with best play, but 'best play' is harder to find when you're the one under pressure. And White is definitely under pressure here.} Rf8 24. Ke2 Rf5 25. b4 {This was an opportunity to play the pawn break 25. c4} Bf8 26. a4 Bd6 27. a5 {27. b5 was correct. Now I should have locked down the Q-side with......a6; something which I fail to do for another 15 moves and should have caused me problems.} Rf3 {According to the engine this move is a 'miss' and I should have played 27. ......Kg8 with a winning advantage. But I still fail to understand why.} 28. Rh1 {And this is also a 'miss'. Allegedly 28. c4 was the path to immediate equality.} Kg7 29. c4 {Too late. This just loses a pawn.} dxc4 30. h4 h5 31. Rc1 {Not bad, but 31. a6! was better as it punishes my omission to play ....... a6 myself.} (31. a6 $1 bxa6 32. Ra1 {counterplay}) 31... Be7 32. Rxc4 Bxh4 33. Be1 Rf5 {33.........a6 was de rigueur.} 34. Rc5 {34. a6 was de rigueur!} Rxc5 35. dxc5 Kf6 36. Bc3+ Ke6 37. f3 exf3+ 38. Kxf3 Bf6 39. Bd2 g5 40. e4 Ke5 41. Bc3+ Ke6 42. Bd2 a6 {Better late than never} 43. Kg3 Be5+ 44. Kh3 Bf4 45. Bc3 Be5 46. Bd2 Kf6 47. Kg2 g4 {And so the pawn marches begin in earnest} 48. Be1 Ke6 49. Bd2 h4 50. Be1 h3+ 51. Kf1 g3 52. Kg1 Bd4+ {white resigns} 0-1