[Event "Dorset Closed - Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.01.21"] [Round "4"] [White "Doyle, J.."] [Black "Barker, E.."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B02"] [Annotator "peter"] [PlyCount "55"] [EventDate "2024.01.24"] [SourceVersionDate "2019.03.01"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. exd5 Nxd5 4. Bc4 Nxc3 (4... Nb6 5. Bb3 Nc6 {is a reasonable alternative}) 5. Qf3 e6 6. dxc3 Qf6 7. Qd3 (7. Qe2 {is the more usual move and White has scored well in practice from here}) 7... Nd7 8. Be3 Ne5 9. Qe4 Nxc4 10. Qxc4 Bd6 11. O-O-O {White has a lead in development but Black has the tidier structure and the bishop pair and must be at least equal here.} Bd7 12. Nf3 a6 13. Kb1 O-O {This is fine but castling on the queenside was an option too. Now the stage is set for the next phase of the game - Jamie's plan is smiple: attack Eddie's king. Eddie's response is to try to swap off the queens.} 14. h4 Bb5 15. Qe4 Bc6 16. Qg4 Qg6 {The first offer of a swap. Of course, Jamie is having nothing of it. Eddie plays chase the queen!} 17. Qd4 Qe4 18. Qd2 {So far so good for Black. White's queen has been driven to a less active square.} Qd5 (18... e5 {is a better option here and at several points over the next few moves. It looks a bit odd to shut in the bishop on d6 but on the other hand it stops White's bishop going to d4. Also, in principle, Black should be more comfortable with his pawns on dark squares as he is the one with the light square bishop.}) 19. Qe2 Qh5 20. Rdg1 Qg4 { a good move, preventing White from playing g4. However, in the long run a queen is a very expensive piece to use as a pawn blocker.} 21. Qe1 Rfd8 (21... e5) 22. h5 h6 $6 {This is dubious in view of the fact that it makes an eventual g5 by White so much stronger. On balance it was better to allow Wihte to play h6 and meet it with g6.} (22... e5) 23. Rh4 $1 {An excellent move preparing g4.} Qf5 24. Nd4 {Suddenly Black's position is critical and Black must find accurate moves to survive.} Qf6 (24... Qd5 {Is an improvement according to the engines but after} 25. g4 {the position still looks hard to play for Black}) 25. f3 Be8 {Presumably trying to bolster g6 but it is the g5 square that needed immediate attention.} (25... Be7) (25... Qe5 26. g4 Be7) 26. g4 Bf4 (26... Be7 27. g5 hxg5 28. Bxg5 Qxg5 29. Rxg5 Bxg5 30. Rg4 {looks much better for White but at least Black can play on.}) 27. Bxf4 Qxf4 28. g5 { White's attack will crash through, so Eddie wisely resigned.} 1-0