[Event "Crossroads Invitational IX Arena"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2020.07.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul H."] [Black "Fritz S."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B30"] [WhiteElo "2100"] [BlackElo "1960"] [Annotator "lichess.org"] [PlyCount "54"] [EventDate "2020.??.??"] [TimeControl "180+2"] {[%evp 0,54,38,18,41,15,19,28,34,-6,12,16,58,58,23,36,43,43,44,44,44,33,71,77, 118,75,108,58,65,73,95,67,64,23,29,18,41,52,72,69,67,36,67,42,90,60,48,80,182, -1347,-1441,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998,-29999,-30000]} 1. e4 c5 {B20 Sicilian Defense} 2. d3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e5 {This looks new. Historically, Fritz would wait to play this move but here he plays it right away.} 4. g3 {Headed straight into my normal King's Indian Attack.} d6 5. Bg2 h5 {I told you he was an attacking player!} 6. O-O {The best way to deal with overly aggressive players is to calmly develop. This is often easier said than done though.} Be7 7. h3 $1 {In prior games I would play h4 and Fritz would play route is knight (Nf6-g4) to land on my weak g4 square. Here it's covered with the flexibility of meeting h4 with g4.} Be6 (7... g5 $5 8. Nfd2 Be6 9. Nc3 Qd7 10. Kh2 O-O-O 11. Nd5 Nh6 12. Nc4 Kb8 $11) 8. Nc3 Qd7 9. Kh2 O-O-O {Now he is committed to a kingside attack which frankly, seems easy enough to play. given the placement of his pieces.} 10. Nd5 f5 11. Ng5 {[%CAl Gg2d5,Gf2f4] The point of this move is to not only trade off his light-squared bishop but to open my light-squared bishop and prepare a possible f4.} Bxg5 12. Bxg5 Re8 13. c3 $6 {Keeping the knight out of d4 but this is passive.} (13. exf5 {Opening the long diagonal for my bishop.} Bxd5 14. Bxd5 Qxf5 15. h4 $14 {White has the 2 bishops and Black's assault has run out of steam.}) 13... Bxd5 14. exd5 Nce7 15. b4 $1 { Opening up lines near Black's king.} cxb4 16. cxb4 (16. c4 Nf6 17. a3 b3 18. d4 e4 19. Qxb3 $14) 16... Kb8 17. Qb3 {The beginning of a plan to start moving my pieces over the the queenside to attack the Black king. The problem with this idea is my g2 bishop. It's cut off from the action. That's why taking on f5 earlier was so important.} (17. b5 h4 18. b6 hxg3+ 19. fxg3 Nf6 20. bxa7+ Ka8 $11) 17... Ng6 18. b5 {The game is even but this move feels slow. I don't have any better alternative though. Perhaps h4 is a good defensive move to prevent Black from playing it himself.} f4 $6 (18... h4 19. Rac1 Nf6 20. b6 $11) 19. Be4 {[%CAl Ge4h7,Ge4h1] Redeploying my bishop to where it has more scope.} N8e7 20. Rac1 (20. b6 axb6 (20... a6 21. Rac1 Rc8 22. Qb2 Rhf8 23. Rxc8+ Rxc8 24. Rc1 Rxc1 25. Qxc1 fxg3+ 26. fxg3 $16)) 20... Rc8 21. a4 (21. h4 Rhf8 22. Rxc8+ Qxc8 23. Qd1 fxg3+ 24. fxg3 Rxf1 25. Qxf1 $14) 21... Nf5 {Black's pieces are swarming on my king position, right? Yes, but he doesn't have a clear way to break through. White is better.} 22. a5 {These pawn pushes, while not wrong, seem too slow.} Nd4 $1 {A nice outpost for the knight which introduces a bunch of threats. Caution must be observed.} 23. Qb2 h4 $4 24. Bxg6 $4 {No calculation whatsoever. Fritz sometimes hangs pieces and I mistakenly thought this was one of those times. And like that, I am lost.} (24. gxf4 {Far from obvious but this wins. Now the h8 rook is on a dead file and my pieces are the ones swarming.} Ne7 25. b6 Nef5 (25... a6 $2 26. Rxc8+ Rxc8 27. Rc1 Nef5 28. Rxc8+ Qxc8 29. fxe5 dxe5 30. Qb4 $18 {White is threatening to take on f5 and then h4. Black has to be careful with his recaptures since the back rank is so weak.} Qe8 31. Kg2 Qf7 32. Qc5 $18 {Threatening d6 among other things. Black is paralyzed.}) 26. bxa7+ Kxa7 27. Qb6+ Kb8 28. fxe5 dxe5 29. a6 $18) 24... hxg3+ 25. fxg3 Qxh3+ 26. Kg1 Qxg3+ 27. Qg2 Ne2# {Black wins by checkmate.} 0-1