[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "78"] {[%evp 0,13,27,45,66,47,71,63,78,37,53,31,75,52,51,41]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 (6. Be2 {Keith: Two years ago I played Mark and played here Be2, and Mark then transposed into a Scheveningan with;} e6 {we draw that one in 30 moves.}) 6... e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 h5 {This is a fashionable way for black to play, inhibiting white's usual g4 advance. The drawback is a weak h pawn, and black usually follows up with g6 and Bg7} 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O {Keith: gives this a ? The first sign that my brain just wasn't in gear. I know this variation and was intending to follow a game of Caruana's where he played 10 Nd5, castled K-side and played on the Q-side with c4, b4 and a break with c5. I simply forgot about that game and realised after castling Q-side that there was no way back into it.} Rc8 11. Qf2 {Keith: (Inexplicable. I know it's wrong to allow Rxc3, breaking up the pawns in front of the K, yet still did it. From now on the game is a struggle.} (11. Kb1 { is right}) 11... Rxc3 12. bxc3 d5 13. exd5 {There's no need to allow the Bishop into a3 and allow black's Knight to become active at the same time. 13 Kb2 would have been a bit better, and if black plays 13...dxe4 , then simply 14 Be2 is ok and at least keeps the N out} Ba3+ 14. Kb1 Nxd5 15. Rxd5 {An admission that the opening has gone horribly wrong. Black has too much play around the white King} Bxd5 16. c4 Be6 17. Bd3 Qc7 18. Rd1 a5 {A usual response when black plays the a5-a4 thrust is Bb5, but the pawn on c4 makes that impossible} 19. Qd2 Bb4 (19... a4 20. Qa5) 20. c3 Be7 {heading for f6} 21. f4 {Finally a glimmer of hope. The threat of f5 is a serious one. Mark sank into a long think, and there are a number of traps for black to avoid} Bg4 ({ One trick black must avoid here is} 21... f6 22. Bg6+ Kd8 23. f5 Bxc4 24. Bb6 { Overloading the queen! Mark is too good to fall for that..}) 22. Re1 a4 23. Nc1 O-O 24. h3 exf4 {I felt at the time that this was the critical position} 25. Bxf4 ({I looked at both} 25. hxg4 fxe3 26. Qxe3 {where White is worse but still in the game}) ({and} 25. Bd4 Be6 26. Qe2 {trying to create chances on the kingside}) 25... Qb6+ 26. Ka1 {Probably the last chance to save the game was 26 Qb2. Black is still better, but at least has to work hard for the win} Be6 27. Qe2 Bf6 28. Qc2 Qa5 29. Ne2 Nc5 30. Rb1 {A final blunder in a difficult position. White doesn't have time for Rb5} Nxd3 31. Qxd3 Bf5 32. Qe3 Bxb1 33. Kxb1 Qf5+ 34. Kb2 a3+ 35. Kc1 (35. Kxa3 {will be met by Qb1 followed by Rook a8}) 35... Rd8 36. Nd4 Bxd4 37. cxd4 Qf6 38. Bg5 Qxd4 39. Qxd4 Rxd4 { The game continued on with both players in a time scramble, I resigned once it became clear that Mark was not going to lose on time.} *