[Event "St Helens V Culcheth C"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.09.06"] [Round "?"] [White "Lamb, Phoenix"] [Black "Burriss, Nick"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1857"] [BlackElo "1672"] [PlyCount "78"] {[%evp 0,72,19,31,72,49,91,58,50,50,50,13,45,19,56,-6,8,2,22,4,38,26,41,6,29, 26,36,37,35,39,19,35,45,23,23,38,22,-40,-3,-136,-67,-85,-101,-101,-103,-210, -73,-135,-120,-209,-206,-206,-198,-199,-166,-235,-380,-407,-407,-423,-446,-435, -419,-419,-232,-260,-236,-329,-327,-532,-658,-658,77,78,59]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 {I have never faced this opening sequence, but it doesn't look anything special.} 5. Qe3 d6 6. Bd2 Nf6 7. f4 {Obviously White's plan is to castle long and prepare a pawn avalanche on the K-side so I had already determined to delay castling for as long as possible.} e6 {I considered 7...g6 but thought that would amount to falling in with White's plan; but g6 was probably a better choice} 8. Nf3 Be7 9. O-O-O Qc7 10. h3 { A bit slow. Okay it prepares g4 etc. and denies my Knight the g4 square but 10. Kb1 at once was better.} b5 {My attack comes first; and my King is safer than White's} 11. Kb1 b4 12. Na4 Rb8 {Not only supporting the attack but also keeping White out of the square b6} 13. Bd3 Bd7 14. b3 ({Not} 14. Bxa6 $4 { when .......Qa5 pockets a piece} Qa5 $19) 14... a5 {There was still no need to protect the a-pawn. Better was 14...Na7 and if 15. Bxa6...Bxa4 shatters White's defences} 15. Nb2 ({Missing the opportunity to get things going on the K-side with} 15. g4) 15... Na7 {Objectively it was time to castle and to react to the flank attack (g4 ) with the central thematic counterpunch ...d5} 16. g4 Nb5 {d5 as per the previous note was correct} 17. Bxb5 Bxb5 18. Nd4 $2 { 18. g5 was White's logical follow up} Ba6 $2 {But this is the wrong way to exploit the situation. Better was 18...Bc6 threatening to win a pawn and after 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 Black still has d5 up his sleeve and maintains a slight initiative.} 19. c3 $2 {Why not 19. g5? Weakening his King's defences like this makes no sense} Qb7 20. Rhe1 d5 $1 {Right on time. Black is now markedly better} 21. e5 Ne4 22. Na4 Rc8 {Bh4 intending ......Bf2 was more forcing. I was slightly over-focused on my Q-side activity.} 23. Rc1 O-O {Having waited this long I should have delayed castling further and played 23...Bh4} 24. c4 $4 {Simply loses a pawn} Nxd2+ 25. Qxd2 dxc4 26. bxc4 Rxc4 27. f5 Rd8 28. Rxc4 Bxc4 29. Qf4 Qd5 30. f6 {In a technically lost position it's never a bad idea to chuck in a hand grenade just in case it does the trick - and my clock was ticking down.} gxf6 31. exf6 Bxf6 $1 32. Qxf6 Qxd4 33. Qg5+ Kh8 34. Nb2 Bd3+ 35. Ka1 Qd5 $4 {A blunder that should have cost me a piece and the game - which would have been unjust, but chess is not a forgiving sport} 36. Qf6+ $1 Kg8 37. Rd1 {Oh dear!} Qd4 {Better, but hard to spot was 37...a4 when White is still better but it's a tougher slog} 38. Qf3 (38. Qxd4 Rxd4 39. Rxd3 $16) 38... Qc3 39. Rxd3 $4 {39. Qe3! Qf6! holds everything together ....only just} Qc1# 0-1