[Event "RF League"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.09.23"] [Round "?"] [White "Burriss, Nick"] [Black "Kay, Lee"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C00"] [Annotator "McCarthy,Damian"] [PlyCount "42"] {[%evp 0,42,19,30,55,9,11,3,3,11,24,24,24,24,29,30,20,-1,37,25,37,3,63,64,42,38,45,45,73,-246,-246,-246,-149,-246,-246,-246,-246,-467,-467,-467,-72,-284,0,-635,-613]} 1. e4 e6 {The first surprise. My (unreliable) spy had told me that Lee was likely to play 1...d6. I have played Lee 3 times before and he had always beaten me so my plan this time was either to beat him or at least go down in a blaze of glory.} 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 dxe4 5. dxe4 Bc5 {Scuppering my plan to play g3 with a classic Kings Indian set up. But no matter, there are other ways to develop the KB.} 6. Bd3 {This will do, but 6 Bb5+ is slightly more precise because 6......Bd7 runs into 7 Qe2 and 6...c6 7 Be2 is slightly better for White, but not exactly gripping.} Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. h3 h6 {Okay, but 8...O-O or Qe7 was preferable.} 9. Nc4 {Planning to exchange off Black's active Bishop, but 9. b3 intending Bb2 was a more positive approach.} Qe7 10. Be3 {Consistent, but consistently inaccurate.} g5 {A surprise. I had expected him to castle or develop with the routine...Be6, but Lee obviously fancied the chances of a K-side attack coupled with long castling.} 11. Bxc5 Qxc5 12. b4 {I was rather pleased with this move which certainly stirs things up as it effective targets Black's e-pawn and creates open lines on the Q-side which I thought might be useful in the event of Black castling long. However, the engine is less enthusiastic and suggests that either 12. a3 or c3 was a little better. Lee now had his first long think before playing -} Nxb4 {Wrong choice. 12...Qxb4 maintains equality after 13 Nfxe5 Nxe5; 14 Nxe5 Qc3; 15 Bb5+ c6; 16. Qd6 Nxe4; 17 Qd5 (a hard move to foresee, for me at least).} 13. Ncxe5 g4 {Played after another long think; but now it was my turn to cogitate at length. Intuitively I felt that I should play 14 hxg4, but I was being sorely tempted to embark on a questionable attack. So, White to play and lose!} 14. Bc4 $2 {14 hxg4 was correct and maintains a healthy advantage for White after 14........Nxg4; 15 a3 Nxd3; 16 Nxd3 Qe7 (or Qc3 or Qc6). Yet another long think for Lee before playing the absolutely correct -} gxf3 15. Bxf7+ {Once again I expended a lot of wasteful thought on 15. Nxf7 threatening Qd8 mate, but that fails comprehensively to either the relatively obvious 15...Qxc4 or the improbable looking 15...O-O!} Ke7 {A mistake which should have dissipated much of his advantage; 15..........Kf8 was correct. The best move here for White is the apparently abject retreat 16 Bd5 after which 16........Nbxd5; 17 Ng6+ Kf7; 18 Nxh8+ Kg7; 19 exd5 fxg2; 20 Re1 Bd7; 21 Rb1 Rxh8 is only slightly advantageous to Black. However, I didn't even consider 16 Bd5 before playing -} 16. Ng6+ Kxf7 17. Nxh8+ Kg7 18. Qd8 {The mistakes are coming thick and fast. Correct was 18 Qxf3, which I considered but rejected because of 18...Qe7 after which Black is still winning, but not by quite such a big margin.} Bxh3 {Not the best, but a deeply unwelcome surprise as time trouble was starting to loom.} 19. Qxa8 Bxg2 {You know it's a complicated position when someone of Lee's calibre can't figure it out. He should have played 19...fxg2 and after 20. Rfe1 Ng4 it's pretty much over. But finding the saving move proved beyond my ability.} 20. Qd8 {Clearly I had learned nothing since my 18th move and completely overlooked 20 e5 which equalises after 20...Nfd5; 21 Rfe1 Qxc2; 22 Qd8 (now it works!) Nd3; 23 Qd7+ Kxh8; 24 Qe8+ forcing a perpetual check.} (20. e5 Nfd5 21. Rfe1 Qxc2 22. Qd8 Nd3 23. Qd7+ Kxh8 24. Qe8+) 20... Bh3 {Would you believe it? Another mistake allowing White draw if only I could find the (same) saving move, namely 21 e5. But, alas and alack, I couldn't.} 21. Kh1 {Living in a dream world where the open g-file would come to my rescue; regrettably it would be the cause of my demise. After the game Lee suggested 21 Qd2 which is more resilient but ultimately fails to, inter alia, 21........Bxf1; 22 Rxf1 Qh5; 23 Qf4 Nc6; 24 Qxc7+ Kxh8; 25 Qc8+ Kg7; 26 Qc7+ Kg6; 27 Qg3+ Qg5} Bxf1 0-1