[Event "Barrow Club Championship"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.01.17"] [Round "?"] [White "Beck, Harry"] [Black "Mackenzie, Matthew"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "1500"] [BlackElo "2134"] [Annotator "Mackenzie,M(Llewellyn,A)"] [PlyCount "34"] [EventDate "2024.01.21"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.01.21"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 (3. Bb5 {The Ruy Lopez -AL}) 3... Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 {the old fashioned way - nearly everybody, at master and club level, seems to play 5 d3 these days} exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 {was hoping he didn't play 7 Nc3, as its a very complex line I haven't faced for years - I *think* I can remember the main theory, but.....} Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 {a well known set up - White gets a free development but also has the classic isolated QP} 10. O-O {this is perfectly OK, but 10 Qb3 is more forceful - Black can then play 10....Na5 11 Qa4+ Nc6 with a possible draw by repetition, or go in for a balanced game with 10....Nce7 - I would obviously have gone for the latter here given that I am the higher rated player} O-O 11. Re1 {now after 11 Qb3?! Na5! swaps off the bishop as there is no check} Bg4 12. Be2 $6 {this is where White maybe starts going wrong - just the simple 12 h3 is best} Nf4 13. Qa4 Qd5 $6 {this works out OK, but the one previous game in databases with this line had 13...Ne2 14 Re2 b5! after which Black is close to winning} 14. Bc4 {this looks obvious, but just drives the Q to a better square - 14 Bb5! instead is about equal} Qh5 15. Qb5 $2 {he had to try 15 Ne5! though it is hard to work out all the ramifications over the board - playing this White thinks he can force the queens off, but he has missed the sting in the tail} Bxf3 16. Nxf3 (16. Qxh5 $4 Bxh5 {Leaves him a piece down...}) 16... Qg4 $1 { White is now pretty much lost - even after the best} 17. Qg5 $4 (17. Bf1 Nh3+ 18. Kh1 Nxf2+ (18... Nxd4 $1 {maybe even stronger})) 17... Nh3+ $3 {this totally devastating rejoinder is what White overlooked earlier - Harry played on a few more moves out of inertia but could really have resigned here} 0-1