[Event "WDCL Div 1"] [White "Burriss, Nick"] [Black "Furness, Robert"] [Site ""] [Round ""] [Annotator "Nick Burriss"] [Result "0-1"] [Date "2019.09.11"] [PlyCount "38"] 1. e4 {Knowing that I would be playing Rob I tried to find out before the match what he plays against 1. e4. No one could tell me. Thus ended my pre-match preparation.} d6 {Oh dear! Possibly a Pirc – about which I know very little other than to play routine developing moves and be ready to deal with …….c5 at some point.} 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 {So not a Pirc after all. You know you’re off to a bad start when you don’t even know what your opponent’s opening is called, let alone what you should play against it.} 4. Nf3 e5 5. Bc4 Be7 {After the game Rob told me he had been wondering how he might create an unbalanced position in which he would be more comfortable than me. He needn’t have worried I am about to make his wish come true with a truly unsound sacrifice.} 6. Bxf7+ {Why? Well curiously I wanted to create an unbalanced position in which I would be more comfortable than Rob. How wrong can you be? Rob told me that the next few moves are all well known theory; not to me, Rob. Not to me. Next time – if there ever is a next time – I think I shall opt for the far less exciting 6. O-O.} Kxf7 7. Ng5+ Kg8 8. Ne6 Qe8 9. Nxc7 Qg6 10. Nxa8 {I had started, so I thought I’d better finish.} Qxg2 11. Rf1 exd4 12. Qxd4 Ne5 {A glance at our respective clock times illustrated perfectly the gulf in our respective knowledge of this line. He had used about 5 minutes; I had used closer to 50. Already in considerable difficulties, and not for the first time in my unremarkable chess playing career, I found the worst possible move.} 13. f4 {So near, yet so far. Best is 13. f3 when after 13……Nfg4; 14. Qd5+ Nf7; 15. Qb5 Bh4+; 16. Kd1 Bd7. Black has a clear, almost certainly winning advantage, but hope still remains. After my move there’s no hope.} (13. f3 Nfg4 14. Qd5+ Nf7 15. Qb5 Bh4+ 16. Kd1 Bd7 )Nfg4 14. Qd5+ Nf7 15. Qh5 {Another mistake. Better, but not game-saving, is 15. Qb5 straight away.} g6 16. Qb5 Bh4+ 17. Kd1 Nf2+ 18. Rxf2 Qxf2 19. Qe2 Bg4 {White resigns.} 0-1