[Event "Online 45 + 45"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Terminator_KG83"] [Black "Burriss, Nick"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A05"] [Annotator "Nick Burriss"] [PlyCount "154"] [EventDate "2011.??.??"] {[%evp 0,154,19,27,17,-9,14,-43,-28,-19,-35,-16,-21,-9,-11,-15,-7,-22,13,-9,-6, 1,17,17,23,-213,-19,-22,-15,-39,-56,-21,30,30,73,56,71,74,76,73,72,76,75,50,41, 53,65,70,70,70,99,98,110,98,98,93,109,99,119,73,141,76,141,143,144,96,96,94, 146,124,122,0,119,74,88,63,117,113,105,115,131,135,133,133,135,30,135,134,134, 129,129,136,135,133,196,184,209,209,209,118,138,128,143,113,139,138,138,138, 138,113,111,111,120,92,95,-16,0,0,0,0,95,94,97,63,68,58,54,49,106,114,114,106, 95,95,101,109,115,108,115,207,344,542,658,0,0,0,0,-342,-496,-546,-682,-766, -822,-1008,-1008,-1008,-1011]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. b3 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O e5 {In these sorts of position I like to create a bit asymmetry and play ……e5 only after my opponent has played c4; or c5 after White has committed to e4. But here I didn’t feel that I had a good waiting move.} 7. d3 Nc6 8. Nbd2 Bd7 {I thought for just over a minute before playing this rather routine developing move. 8.Nd7 intending Nc5 and Be6 is a bit more dynamic.} 9. h3 {I really don’t see the point of this move. 9. Nc4 or 9. a4 are better options.} Re8 10. e4 d5 {This natural pawn break is premature. It hands White enhanced piece activity whilst exposing Black’s e-pawn as a potential weakness. Having said that, I wasn’t impressed by either 10...Qc8 or 10...b5 – both of which I considered.} 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxe5 {White spent over 3 minutes on this howler.} Nxe5 {And I spent just 1 minute on this one!} ({I completely failed to calculate that} 12... Bxe5 {wins a piece; something most club players would have spotted in a heartbeat. One winning line after} 13. Bxe5 Rxe5 14. Nc4 Rh5 15. g4 Nf4 16. gxh5 Qg5 17. Qf3 Nd4 18. Qxb7 Bc6 {None of which I even remotely considered}) 13. Bxd5 Bxh3 14. Bxb7 Bxf1 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 {Another tactical blind-spot moment where I failed to exploit the fact that the White’s Bishop on b2 is unprotected.} ({Correct is } 15... Nxd3 16. Bxg7 (16. cxd3 Bxb2 {with a significant advantage to Black.}) {is met by} 16... Re1) 16. Qxf1 {And so instead of being a piece up and/or winning the game in short order my tactical myopia has resulted led in me being a pawn down.} Nf3+ 17. Nxf3 Bxb2 18. Re1 Rxe1 19. Nxe1 Bc3 20. Ng2 { 20. Qe2 would have maintained White’s significant advantage by snuffing out any counterplay.} Qf3 21. Qc1 {Played after well over 5 minutes thought and good enough to keep an advantage. 21. Nh4 was an alternative after which Black has nothing better than 21…….Qh5.} Bd4 22. Ne3 f5 {Desperately trying to continue actively. If 22…Bxe3; 23 Qxe3 Qd1+; 24. Kh2 Qxc2; 25. Qxa7, and White is still better. Best, but not great, was 22…Qf6.} 23. Qd1 Qc6 24. Nc4 Qe6 25. Qd2 Qf6 {Either 25…c5 or 25…Kg7 is more accurate, but I was anxious to stop White playing 26 c3 and getting his Q-side pawn majority rolling with a gain of tempo.} 26. Qa5 {Losing the thread. 26. Qf4 was best.} Qe6 27. Qd2 {Realising his error and avoiding the fatal blunder 27. Qxc7?? when Black wins by 27……..Qe1+; 28. Kh2 Qxf2+; 29. Kh3 Qf1+; 30. Kh2 Qg1+; 30. Kh3 Qh1 mate.} Qf6 {Repeating the mistake made at move 25} 28. Qe2 { Again missing Qf4.} f4 {28…Kg7 was better, but by now I felt the game was lost anyway and wanted to go down fighting.} 29. Qf3 {A comedy of errors. 29. Qe8+ would have wrapped it up for White} g5 {And another. It was time to wimp out with 29…….fxg3with an outside chance of holding the minor piece ending. } 30. Nd2 Qe5 31. Nc4 Qf6 32. g4 {Either 31. gxf4 or 31. Qd5+ would have been much better} Qe6 33. Kf1 Kf7 34. Qb7 {Throwing it all away. The position is now officially dead even. White should have played 34. Na5 intending Nc6 and d4 when the Bishop moves away activating his Q- side mass of pawns.} Qd7 { Handing it all back! 34...Qxg4! was correct resulting to a forced draw even after 35. Qd5+ pocketing the Bishop.} 35. Qe4 Kg7 {And yes, handing it all back once again. 35 …….Qxg4 draws as before, even against 36. Qxh7+ when 36……..Kf8 holds.} 36. Na5 {Now this isn’t so good. Better was 36. Ne5 pretty much forcing the minor piece exchange and a won Queen ending.} Bc3 { As soon as I played this awful move I saw that 37. Qc6 forced the exchange of Queens. 36...Bf6 was necessary.} 37. f3 ({would have forced the exchange of queens} 37. Qc6) 37... Bxa5 {There is nothing better, but I fancied I might be able to swindle a draw in the Q ending.} 38. Qe5+ Kg6 39. Qxa5 Qc6 {Attacking two unguarded pawns – what’s not to like?} 40. Qf5+ Kh6 {The answer to my last question is that if Black takes either of the pawns without giving check, Qf6 mates! So White should now play 41. Ke1 to set the trap and maintain his winning advantage. He does play it eventually but only after some intermediary time-consuming checks} 41. Qf8+ Kg6 42. Qg8+ Kh6 43. Qf8+ Kg6 44. Qf5+ Kh6 45. Ke1 Qc3+ 46. Kd1 Qd4 {It’s a bit academic, but 46…….Qc6 was a more accurate way to lose} 47. Qe6+ Kg7 48. Qe7+ Kh6 49. Kd2 {There was no reason not to play 49 Qxc7 because 49 …….Qg1+; 50. Kd2 Qf2+; 51. Kc3 Qxf3; 52. Qd6+ Kg7;53. Qd7+ Kg8; 54. Qe6+ Kg7; 55. Qe5+ Kg6; 56. Qf5+ Kg7; 57. Qxg5+ wins.} Qb6 50. Kc3 Qc6+ 51. Kb2 Qb6 52. a4 Kg6 53. Qe4+ Kg7 54. c3 Qf2+ 55. Ka3 {A very serious inaccuracy that should have let Black off the hook. 55. Kc1 intending to meet further checks by Kd2 and Qe2 was the right course. Black should probably now play 55……….Qc5+ but I was beginning to hatch a cunning plan involving exchanging Queens and winning by advancing my K-side pawns whilst the White King was miles away from the real action.} Qe3 { Technically a mistake, but I was losing anyway and it gave my opponent a wonderful opportunity to go wrong.} 56. a5 {An opportunity he grabbed with both hands.} Qxe4 57. dxe4 h5 58. gxh5 g4 {I played this move instantaneously completely overlooking the essential (and winning) 58…Kf6} 59. e5 g3 { The obvious 59……….gxf3 is better, but the win has vanished in any event.} 60. e6 g2 61. h6+ Kxh6 62. e7 g1=Q 63. e8=Q Qc5+ {Trying to find ways to lose again. 63…Qa1+ is best; 64. Kb4 c5+; 65. Kb5 Qf1+; 66. c4 Qxf3; and White has a very slight edge.} 64. Ka4 Qxc3 65. Qe6+ Kg5 66. Qg8+ (66. Qg4+ { preserved winning chances}) 66... Kf5 {Giving White a second bite at the cherry…} 67. Qg4+ {…which he takes without hesitation.} Kf6 (67... Ke5 68. Qg7+) 68. Qxf4+ Ke6 {..Kg6 was a slower way to die} 69. Qc4+ Qxc4+ 70. bxc4 a6 {I could have been excused for resigning here, but given all the twists and turns in this game so far I thought I should hang on a little bit longer.} 71. c5 {And thank goodness I did hang on. This is just about the only move available to White that doesn’t win.} Kd5 72. Kb4 Kd4 73. f4 {Astonishingly in this study-like position pushing this passed pawn loses. White had to play 73. c6 and if 73 …….Kd5; 74. Kc3 Kc5! (not 74. …..Kxc6?? because 75. Kc4 Kd6; 76. Kd4 c5+; 77. Kc4 Kc6; 78. f4 wins)75. f4 Kxc6; 76. Kd4 Kd6; 77. f5 c6; 78. f6 Ke6; 79. Kc5 Kxf6; 80. Kxc6 Ke6; 81. Kb6 Kd6; 82. Kxa6 Kc6 with a draw.} c6 74. f5 Ke5 75. f6 Ke6 76. Kc4 Kxf6 77. Kd4 Kf5 {The only winning move. Except it didn’t win because in this 100% won position I offered my opponent a draw which he immediately accepted and then pointed out that it was anything but a drawn position. So a slightly absurd result; but probably a fair one!} 1/2-1/2