[Event "219th GK tournament"] [Site "https://gameknot.com/chess.pl"] [Date "2022.11.13"] [Round "?"] [White "alo1"] [Black "Harwood"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B20"] [WhiteElo "1611"] [BlackElo "1981"] [Annotator "Harwood,Paul"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2022.??.??"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.12.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 4. e4 Bg7 5. Na4 $2 {A strange move. Yes, it attacks c5 but Black simply plays d6 which not only protects the pawn but opens the diagonal for the c8 bishop.} ({Relevant:} 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 e6 9. Bg2 Nge7 10. O-O O-O 11. d3 a6 12. Rb1 Rb8 13. Bd2 b5 14. b3 Nd4 15. Ne2 Nec6 16. Kh2 Nb4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 18. Bxb4 cxb4 19. f4 a5 20. Qe2 a4 21. e5 Qc7 22. exd6 Qxd6 23. Rbc1 Rfd8 24. cxb5 axb3 25. axb3 Rxb5 26. Rc6 Qd7 27. Rc4 Rb6 28. Rfc1 Bc3 29. Bf1 Ra6 30. Rc2 Ra1 31. h4 h5 32. Re4 Qd5 33. Rc4 Re1 34. Qf2 Rb1 {0-1 Swicarz,M (2338)-Zhalmakhanov,R (2403) Titled Tuesday intern op 02nd Nov Chess.com INT blitz 2021 (2)}) 5... d6 {[%csl Gc5][%CAl Gc8g4] [#]One has to ask: "what is the knight doing on a4?"} 6. a3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bf4 Bg4 8. Be2 Qa5+ 9. Nd2 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 Qxa4 11. O-O Nd4 12. Qe3 Nc2 13. Qg3 Nxa1 14. Rxa1 Nh5 15. Qg4 Nxf4 16. Qxf4 O-O 17. h3 Qc6 18. Nb3 Bxb2 19. Rb1 Be5 20. Qd2 b6 21. d4 Bxd4 22. Nxd4 cxd4 23. Qxd4 Rac8 24. Rc1 b5 25. Qxa7 Qxe4 26. Qa6 bxc4 27. f3 Qe3+ 28. Kh2 Qxc1 {0-1 Lochmann,T (654)-Rutsatz,M (1919) Eschborn op 10th 2013 (1)}) 6... Nf6 {I also considered e6 but why block the light squares for my bishop. Nf6 is a free tempo as it attacks e4 and forces White to reply.} 7. d3 (7. e5 dxe5 8. Nxc5 e4 9. Ng5 Qd4 10. b4 h6 11. Nh3 $15) 7... O-O 8. Be2 Bd7 9. Nc3 Rb8 {This seems like a logical plan. Many games in the English revolve around a Rb8 and b5-b4 idea.} (9... e5 {was another consideration - locking the center.} 10. O-O h6 11. Be3 Rb8 12. Qd2 Kh7 13. Rab1 $11) 10. Bd2 a6 {Following through on the b7-b5 expansion indea.} 11. h3 b5 12. Rb1 Nd4 (12... Qc7 13. O-O Rfd8 {I feel like I should bring a rook to the file but how does that help my position?} (13... Nd4 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. exd5 bxc4 17. dxc4 Bf5 $15)) 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Nd5 Ne8 $6 {Not sure what I was thinking there. e6 to kick the knight and then reroute my knight to c7-e6-c5? Seems long-winded.} (14... e6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6 16. O-O bxc4 17. dxc4 Bc6 18. Bd3 $13) 15. b3 (15. O-O e6 16. Nf4 Nc7 17. Bb4 Bc6 $15) 15... e6 16. Nb4 Nc7 17. Bf4 {White keeps moving his pieces around and still hasn't castled.} Qe7 18. Qd2 bxc4 (18... a5 $1 {This looked like a natural move but after Na2 or Nc2, I didn't like that my a5 pawn was hanging.} 19. Na2 bxc4 20. dxc4 e5 21. Bg5 f6 22. Bh4 Ne6 {Stockfish doesn't have any worries about hanging the a5 pawn. This is where an understanding of the initiative is important. But objectively, allowing White two connected passers is difficult to justify.} 23. O-O (23. Qxa5 $2 Nf4 $1 24. Bf3 Nd3+ 25. Kf1 Nc5 26. Qe1 (26. b4 $2 Be6 27. Kg1 Bxc4 28. Kh2 Ra8 29. Qxa8 Rxa8 $19)) 23... g5 24. Bg3 Nc5 25. f3 Nxb3 26. Qe1 d5 27. Nc1 Nxc1 28. Qxc1 dxe4 29. fxe4 Rxb1 30. Qxb1 Qxa3 $19) 19. dxc4 f5 $6 (19... e5 20. Bg3 a5 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. cxd5 f5 $5 $14) 20. exf5 Rxf5 $2 ({Keeping the pawn chain connected is what was called for here.} 20... gxf5 21. Bh2 Kh8 22. O-O e5 $17) 21. Bg4 Rf7 22. Bg3 e5 23. Be2 (23. O-O a5 24. Bxd7 Qxd7 25. Nd5 Nxd5 26. cxd5 Rb5 27. a4 Rb4 28. f3 Qb7 29. Rfc1 Bf8 30. Qd3 Rb6 31. Kh2 Bh6 32. Rc6 Rxc6 33. dxc6 Qxc6 $17) 23... Qf8 {preparing Bh6.} ({Once again,} 23... a5 {is the right move.} 24. Nd3 (24. Nc2 Ne6 25. O-O Nc5 26. Qxa5 Bf5 27. Nb4 Qf8 28. Nd5 Bxb1 29. Rxb1 $19) 24... e4 $19 25. Nb2 e3 26. Qc2 exf2+ 27. Bxf2 Qg5 28. Bg4 Re8+ 29. Kf1 Bc6 30. Re1 Re3 31. Qd2 h5 $19) 24. Bd3 Bh6 (24... e4 $1 25. Bxe4 Re8 26. O-O $19 (26. f3 Rxf3 $3 27. Kd1 (27. gxf3 Qxf3 $19) 27... Rxg3 $19)) 25. Qe2 a5 26. Nd5 {Normally a good outpost but White cannot allow a capture here.} Nxd5 $6 $11 {This feels like a premature trade. The knight on d5 is annoying but I can threaten it in other ways - Bc6 etc.} (26... Ne6 27. O-O Nc5 28. Bc2 d3 29. Bxd3 Rxb3 30. Rxb3 Nxb3 $15) 27. cxd5 {White's d5 pawn is isolated and hems in the light squared bishop.} Bf5 28. O-O Rc7 {With the c1 square under my control, I am angling for Rc3.} 29. Rfd1 Rc3 $6 (29... Bxd3 30. Qxd3 Qc8 {A dual purpose move. It better prepares Rc3 and prevents Qa6.}) 30. Bxf5 gxf5 31. Rd3 $6 {Stockfish assesses this position as -2.30, so, better for Black but not winning. It says Bh4 is the only move to keep white in the game.} Rbc8 32. f3 $2 {This is where my opponent melts down. He is now lost.} Rc2 33. Qe1 Qg7 34. Rbd1 $4 {White might have already been lost but this seals the deal.} Be3+ 35. Kh2 f4 36. Rxe3 Qxg3+ (36... dxe3 37. a4 Rb2 38. b4 Rcc2 39. Kh1 Rxg2 {#6}) 37. Qxg3+ fxg3+ 38. Kxg3 dxe3 39. Rd3 R8c3 40. Rd1 Rd2 41. Re1 {Down a rook, my opponent is determined to make me convert the win.} Rxb3 42. a4 Rxd5 43. Kg4 Rd2 44. Kg3 d5 45. h4 d4 46. Kg4 e2 47. Kg3 d3 48. Kf2 Rd1 49. Rxe2 dxe2 50. Kxe2 Rh1 51. Kf2 Rxh4 52. Kg3 Rxa4 53. Kf2 Rf4 54. Kg3 a4 {White resigns.} 0-1