[Event "4NCL Online, Division 3, Board 4"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2020.09.08"] [Round "?"] [White "Weatherlake, John"] [Black "Gurjar, Siena"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C26"] [WhiteElo "1975"] [BlackElo "1106"] [Annotator "peter"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2020.??.??"] [TimeControl "2700+15"] 1. Nc3 e5 2. e4 Nf6 3. g3 Bc5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nge2 d6 6. O-O Bg4 7. h3 Bd7 8. Kh2 O-O 9. d3 a5 10. f4 h6 11. f5 Nd4 12. g4 Nxe2 13. Nxe2 a4 14. a3 g5 15. Ng3 Bc6 {From this move until the end of the game, all black's moves are those chosen by Stockfish 11 on the analysis board on Lichess.} 16. h4 $1 {Superb play by John.} gxh4 {Only move} (16... Nh7 17. hxg5 Kh8 (17... Nxg5 18. f6 Kh7 19. Bxg5 hxg5 20. Rf3 $18) (17... hxg5 18. f6 Kh8 {transposes to 17...Kh8}) 18. f6 hxg5 19. Nf5 Qxf6 20. Kg3 Rg8 (20... Bd7 21. Rh1 Bxf5 22. gxf5 Rg8 (22... Kg7 23. Qg4 Rg8 24. Bd2 d5 25. Rh5 $18)) 21. Rh1 Rg6 22. Rh5 Kg8 23. Qh1 Nf8 24. Be3 $18) 17. Bxh6 hxg3+ {Only move} (17... Kh8 $18 18. g5 hxg3+ 19. Kxg3 Rg8 20. Rh1 Nh7 21. Qh5 $18) 18. Kxg3 d5 $2 {A mistake. It is one of the three natural moves in this position and indeed is the choice of some engines at low to medium depths (e.g. Stockfish 11 at depth 24/24) but loses to an accurate reply by wihte.} (18... Nh7 $1 19. g5 Be3 $1 20. Qh5 Bxg5 21. f6 Bxf6 22. Rh1 Bg5 23. Bxf8 $14 {white is an exchange for a pawn up but black may well be able to survive.} Bf4+ 24. Kf2 Kxf8 25. Qxh7 $14) (18... Re8 {too slow} 19. Rh1 Nh7 20. g5 Be3 21. Qg4 d5 22. g6 $18) 19. g5 (19. Qd2 $1 $18 Nh7 20. f6 $18 Bd7 (20... dxe4 21. Rf5 Qd4 (21... e3 22. Bxe3 Bxe3 23. Qxe3 Kh8 24. Rh1 $18)) 21. exd5 Ra6 22. Be4 Rxf6 23. Rxf6 Qxf6 24. Rh1 Qf2+ 25. Qxf2 Bxf2+ 26. Kxf2 { black has survived to the endgame but white is a pawn up and has the bishop pair, and should be able to convert.}) 19... Be3 $1 $11 (19... Nh7 $16) 20. Rh1 {Natural and looks very strong, but losing if black finds succession of only moves, which she most impressively does} (20. Bxf8 Kxf8 21. gxf6 Bf4+ 22. Rxf4 exf4+ 23. Kxf4 Qxf6 24. exd5 $11 (24. e5 Qh6+ 25. Kg3 $15)) 20... Bf4+ $1 $19 { only move to keep the advantage. This is quite a subtle move, as it is not immediately obvious what it achieves, but in fact it is important to force the king back so that it cannot reach g4 after black plays Nxe4} (20... Bxg5 21. Bxg5 Nxe4+ 22. Bxe4 $1 (22. dxe4 Qxg5+ 23. Qg4 Qxg4+ 24. Kxg4 $15) 22... Qxg5+ 23. Kf2 $11) (20... Nxe4+ 21. dxe4 Bf4+ (21... dxe4 22. Rh5 $1 $18 (22. Qh5 Qd2 $19)) 22. Kg4 $16 {and here is the crucial difference vs 20...Bf4+. The g5 pawn is defended and the white queen is quite safe. White can proceed to build on the h-file} Ra6 23. Rh5 (23. Bf1 Rb6 24. f6 Bd7+ 25. Kf3 Rxf6 26. gxf6 Qxf6 27. Bxf4 {is less clear}) 23... Re8 24. Kh3 Bd7 (24... dxe4 25. f6 $18) 25. Qg4 dxe4 (25... Qe7 26. Re1 dxe4 27. Bxe4 Qc5 28. Re2 Rd6 29. Bg7 $18) 26. Bxe4 Rd6 27. Rf1 Rd2 (27... Bc8 28. Kg2 Rd2+ 29. Kh1 Qd4 30. Qf3 Bd7 31. Bg7 $18) 28. Rxf4 exf4 29. g6 Qf6 30. Bg5 Qg7 31. Rh7 Qxg6 32. fxg6 Bxg4+ 33. Kxg4 fxg6 34. Re7 Rxe7 35. Bxe7 {is clearly better for white, possibly winning}) (20... Nh7 21. Qh5 $16) (20... dxe4 21. gxf6 $18) 21. Kf2 Nxe4+ $1 {Everything else loses} (21... Nh7 22. Qh5 $18) (21... dxe4 22. gxf6 Qxf6 23. Qg4+ $18) 22. dxe4 dxe4 { A natural move to try to swop queens and in fact the only move to keep an advantage} (22... Qe7 23. Bxf8 (23. Qh5 Qc5+ $19) 23... Qxg5 24. Bc5 Ra5 25. exd5 Qg3+ 26. Kf1 Bb5+ 27. Kg1 Be3+ 28. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 29. Kh2 Qf4+ 30. Kg1 Qe3+ $11) (22... Re8 23. f6 dxe4 24. Bg7 $18) 23. f6 e3+ {Everything else loses. The move order is cirtical. Swapping queens first and then playing e3 does not work.} (23... Qxd1 24. Raxd1 e3+ (24... Rfd8 25. Bg7 e3+ 26. Ke2) (24... Kh7 25. Bxf8+ Kg6) 25. Ke2 Bxg2 (25... Kh7 26. Bxf8+) 26. Bg7 {and now mate cannot be avoided.}) 24. Kg1 (24. Ke2 Bxg2 25. Bg7 Bxh1 26. Qxh1 {setting up the same mate as in the line where black swapped queens before playing e3 but now...} Qd2+ 27. Kf3 Bh2 {and black has defended against the mate}) 24... Qxd1+ { everything else loses} (24... Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qxd1 26. Raxd1 Rfd8 (26... Kh7 27. Bxf8+) 27. Bg7 Rxd1 28. Rh8#) 25. Rxd1 Rfd8 $19 {the only move to keep an advtantage} (25... e2 $16 {is a plausible alternaitve but leaves white better} 26. Re1 Be3+ 27. Kh2 Bf4+ 28. Kh3 $16) 26. Re1 Bxg2 (26... Kh7 $19 { immediately also wins}) (26... Rd2 27. Bxc6 bxc6 28. Bg7 $18) 27. Kxg2 Kh7 { by just one tempo black avoids the mating net} (27... Rd2+ 28. Kf3 Kh7 $19) 28. Kf3 Kg6 29. Kg4 Rd2 (29... Rd4 {is a natural alternative that also works}) 30. Reg1 Rxc2 {very calm. Personally I would have hastened with Rad8 just to be sure} 31. Bg7 Bxg5 (31... Bh2 $19) 32. Rg3 Rd8 33. Rhg1 Rd4+ 0-1