[Event "KNSB 4H 2024-2025"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.09.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Grochal, Joey"] [Black "Riemens, Koen"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A70"] [WhiteElo "2269"] [BlackElo "1970"] [Annotator "JG (de Pion - Goes 3-5)"] [PlyCount "41"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.09.21"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 a5 8. Bg5 h6 9. Be3 Na6 10. Nd2 Ne8 (10... Nd7 11. a3 (11. g4 Ndc5 12. h4 f5 $132)) 11. a3 { This is fine. During the game i thought i remembered that the logical g4 is not very good here. That is actually against Nd7, g4 is perfectly playable here. Still the position opens up so i prefer a3.} (11. g4 f5 12. exf5 gxf5 13. gxf5 Bxf5 14. Rg1 $14) 11... f5 12. f3 f4 $6 {Maintaining the tension makes more sense.} (12... Bd7 $142 13. Rb1 (13. O-O Nf6 14. b4 $6 axb4 15. axb4 Nxb4 16. Qb3 c5 17. dxc6 Nxc6 18. Qxb7 $11) (13. Qc2 $142 Nf6 14. O-O-O $5 $14 { not sure i have ever seen this plan before.}) 13... Qh4+ 14. Bf2 Qg5 15. O-O a4 $1 16. h4 Qe7 17. Nxa4 Bf6 $44) 13. Bf2 g5 {Far too slow.} (13... Bd7 14. O-O ( 14. Rb1 Bf6 15. b4 Bh4 16. g3 Be7 17. Qb3 Kh7 18. O-O $5 $14) 14... g5 (14... b6 15. Rb1 Bf6 16. b4 Bh4 17. Bxh4 Qxh4 18. c5 axb4 19. cxb6 $1 cxb6 (19... bxc3 20. b7 Rb8 21. Bxa6 cxd2 22. a4 $18) 20. axb4) 15. b4 axb4 16. axb4 Nxb4 17. Qb3 c5 18. dxc6 Nxc6 19. c5+ Kh7 20. Nd5 $14) 14. b4 $16 Rf6 $6 15. c5 Rg6 16. Nc4 h5 17. c6 $1 {Closing the position but white should just win on the queenside since black is nowhere yet on the kingside. This push reminded me of an old game of Petrosian (vs Gligoric) though in that game white got in f4 and locked up the bishop on c8.} b6 (17... bxc6 18. dxc6 Be6 19. b5 Nc5 20. Bxc5 dxc5 21. Qxd8 Rxd8 22. Nd5 Bxd5 23. O-O-O $18) (17... axb4 18. axb4 {[%CAl Ga1a8]} bxc6 19. dxc6 Be6 20. Nd5 $18) 18. bxa5 b5 ({A better try surely but still bad:} 18... bxa5 19. Nxa5 Nc5 20. Nb3 Nxb3 21. Qxb3 $18 g4 22. a4 Bf6 23. a5 Bh4 24. Nd1) 19. Nb6 $5 {Alas the engine prefers the simple Nxb5 although this is also completely winning. It was at least more fun to play.} (19. Nxb5 g4 20. Na7 $1) 19... Rb8 (19... cxb6 20. axb6 Nc5 21. Bxc5 dxc5 22. b7 Bxb7 23. cxb7 Rb8 24. Nxb5 $18 {without the c8 bishop black's attack will always lack bite. White should just convert a healthy pawn up.}) 20. Nxc8 {Again without the bishop there is never any attack and white just wins on the queenside.} Qxc8 21. Nxb5 {and here black resigned. There is not much black can do.} (21. Nxb5 Qd8 (21... Nc5 22. Bc4 Kh7 23. h3 Bh6 24. Na7 Qd8 25. Rb1 Ra8 26. Rb7) 22. Na7 Nc5 23. Rb1 Ra8 24. Rb7 $18) 1-0