[Event "Rated Rapid game"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2021.03.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul H."] [Black "funarog"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B20"] [WhiteElo "2187"] [BlackElo "2112"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [EventType "rapid"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.12.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,75,27,10,46,4,12,8,50,24,25,13,15,8,19,3,-4,-4,31,38,70,56,40,43,51, 46,47,55,99,-240,134,82,59,60,126,34,102,-10,2,14,72,55,68,96,105,70,148,108, 185,138,145,171,171,117,104,98,146,180,159,123,134,92,850,926,926,918,918,964, 996,996,1080,1126,1208,1318,1308,1618,29987,29988]} 1. e4 c5 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 d4 4. Ngf3 Nc6 5. e5 {An important move to establish space and open up the g2-a8 diagonal. It also stops Nf6.} e6 ({Black can threaten the pawn with} 5... Qd5 6. Qe2 g6 $11 {/\Bg7} 7. Qe4 Be6 8. g3 Nb4 9. Kd1 Qd8 $11) 6. g3 Qc7 7. Qe2 Nge7 {Black intends Ng6 to attack the e5 pawn.} 8. a4 {To meet Ng6 with Nc4 where the knight cannot be kicked.} Ng6 9. Nc4 $14 {White has nice centralized control of the board, an h-pawn he can march down the board and easy development. Black has to deal with his buried f8 bishop and decide where he wants to castle.} Be7 (9... Bd7 10. a5 f6 11. Bg2 Rb8 12. O-O Ncxe5 13. Nfxe5 Nxe5 14. Bf4 Bd6 15. Bxe5 Bxe5 16. Rfe1 Kf7 17. Nxe5+ Qxe5 18. Qxe5 fxe5 19. Rxe5 $14) 10. h4 h5 11. Bg2 b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Re1 Nb4 $6 14. Bd2 $4 {An oversight, allowing Nc2 and Black wins the exchange and is winning.} (14. c3 Nc6 15. Bg5 dxc3 16. bxc3 $16) 14... Nd5 $4 {He misses Nc2! Now I am back to being better.} (14... Nxc2 15. Bg5 Nxa1 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Rxa1 Rad8 $19) 15. c3 {Breaking up the pawn center and threatening to win a pawn on d4. The drawback is that it might give light for Black's e7 bishop.} dxc3 16. bxc3 Rd8 17. Nb2 { My idea was to protect d3 and a4 simultaneously but taking the knight off of its post on c4 is not advised.} (17. Ng5 $1 {A very strong move that I overlooked. There are multiple ideas here. The first is Qf3 threatening to take on f7. The other is Ng3-e4 creating even more threats in occupying d6.} Rd7 (17... Bxg5 18. Bxg5 O-O 19. Bxd8 Rxd8 $18 20. Qc2 {Covering c3.} Bc6 21. Be4 $18) 18. Rac1 Ba6 $18) 17... O-O 18. Ng5 $6 {This invites the trading of pieces which always favors the player whose position is cramped.} ({>=} 18. Nh2 {[%csl Rh5][%CAl Ge2h5]} f6 19. exf6 Nxf6 20. Qxe6+ $14) 18... Bxg5 19. Bxg5 Nde7 $2 (19... Nxc3 20. Qd2 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 Nd5 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 $15 {Black is down the exchange but has an extra pawn up a centralized knight. He also has a pawn majority on the queenside.}) 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Qxh5 {An important pawn but not enough to win. With less pieces on the board, Black has more activity and therefore more resources.} Qd5 $2 (21... Rd5 {Threatening to capture e5.} 22. f4 f6 23. exf6 gxf6 24. Rxe6 Qd7 (24... fxg5 25. Rxg6+ Nxg6 26. Qxg6+ Qg7 27. Qxg7+ Kxg7 28. hxg5 $18) 25. Rae1 $14) 22. Qe2 Rd7 ({Stockfish likes} 22... f6 {but this looks very complicated to me. Most humans would not resort to this move to improve their position.} 23. exf6 gxf6 24. Qxe6+ Qxe6 25. Rxe6 fxg5 26. h5 Kg7 27. hxg6 $16) 23. h5 (23. Nc4 {is the most exact move as capturing d3 leads to h5 and one of Black's knights is lost.} Nf5 (23... Qxd3 24. Qxd3 Rxd3 25. h5 {And one of the knights is lost.}) 24. Rad1 $18) 23... Nh8 24. h6 Nf5 25. hxg7 (25. Qh5 $2 Nxh6 26. Nc4 (26. Bxh6 gxh6 27. Qxh6 f5 $1 $11) 26... Nf5) 25... Nxg7 26. Bf6 Ng6 (26... Ne8 27. Bxh8 Kxh8 28. Qh5+ Kg8 29. Re4 $18) 27. Qe3 {[%csl Rg7,Rh6,Yh8][%CAl Ye3h6,Yh6g7] Trying to get to h6 and threaten mate on g7.} Kh7 28. f3 $1 {White will lift his king and bring his rooks to the h-file. This threat is more than Black can handle.} Rh8 (28... Nf5 29. Qe2 Rh8 30. Kf2 Kg8 31. Bxh8 Kxh8 $18) 29. Kf2 Kg8 30. Rh1 {The Black king is poorly placed so White wants to trade rooks and control the h-file.} Nf5 31. Rxh8+ Nxh8 32. Qg5+ Ng6 33. Rh1 Kf8 {This is the critical position. White is winning but how to convert? I do not want Black to drum up counterplay because of my inability to delivery checkmate. Then I decided to look at the problem piece, the f5 knight. Once I force it to move, the game should be over. I spent a few seconds analyzing Black's possible replies and I didn't see any so I played...} 34. g4 {The only move that wins on the spot. Other options (like Qh5) are slower.} Qb3 35. gxf5 Qxb2+ 36. Kg3 Rxd3 37. fxg6 (37. Qh5 $1 Qg2+ ( 37... Qxc3 38. Qh8+ Nxh8 39. Rxh8#) 38. Kxg2 $18) 37... Ke8 (37... Rxf3+ 38. Kxf3 Qxc3+ 39. Kg4 (39. Qe3 Qxe3+ 40. Kxe3 fxg6 41. Rh8+ Kf7 42. Rh7+ Kf8 43. Rxa7 $18) 39... Qb4+ 40. Kh5 {#7}) 38. gxf7+ {Black resigned. #6} 1-0