1.e4 c6 The first otb move I had made for nearly two years. My playing strength was a bit of an unknown to me as I hadn't played for so long, but I was confident in my game because of reasonable results in the games I had played previously and a feeling that my playing strength had increased slightly over the intervening years from all the incessant internet blitz playing and reading etc, so I went straight in for the open section of the tournament. In hindsight I think I probably would have played just as rustily against slightly lower graded players than I faced anyway, so being shown my errors by some strong players was probably a good way of kicking me back into form. 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.Qxf3 e6 6.d3 Nd7 7.Bf4?! This makes things pretty comfortable for black and I think more or less equalises. 7...e5 8.Bd2 [8.Bh2 would look visibly pants] 8...d4 9.Ne2 Qb6 [F 9...Ngf6 ] 10.0–0–0 Fritz agrees 10...Nc5? I was overconfident with what I thought was an advantageous start for me and overlook the basic analytics of the position. I think I can put this partly down to it being my first over the board game for nearly two years so I was a bit out of touch with the reality of the position. [10...Bb4 is ok 11.Qg3 Bxd2+ 12.Rxd2 g6; 10...Ngf6 is ok 11.g4 Bb4 12.Bxb4 (12.g5 Bxd2+ 13.Rxd2 Ng8 14.h4 Ne7) 12...Qxb4 13.g5 Ng8 14.h4 Ne7] 11.Qg3 Now the position is quite problematic for black and F gives white about one pawn. 11...f6 [11...Nd7 may have been better: a lame move to have to make of course, but only because it was a lame move to start with 12.f4 exf4 (12...f6 13.c3 (13.fxe5 fxe5 14.c3 dxc3 15.Nxc3 Ngf6 not great for black but he has solved some of the problems) 13...0–0–0 a) 13...exf4 is not good 14.Bxf4 dxc3 15.Nxc3 0–0–0 16.Kb1 and Rf8; not a happy position for black, white has a huge attack; b) if 13...dxc3 14.Bxc3! taking with bishop and adding to the woe of the d4 square for black 14...0–0–0 15.d4 (15.fxe5 cashing in the pawn immediately is not as good for white 15...fxe5 16.Bxe5 Nxe5 17.Qxe5 Qe3+) 15...Nh6 developing is the best chance 16.fxe5 (16.d5? would be wrong and allow 16...Nc5) 16...fxe5 17.dxe5 Nc5 black has been resourceful but it is very good for white; ) ] 12.f4 black is a long way from creating legitimate threats against the white king so white can happily open the position up and attack the black king 12...Na4? though not an immediately losing blunder, this is delusional, and a simple analysis of the continuations will show it to be futile. [12...exf4 was better; maybe I was concerned about the number of different recaptures and assumed I would lose a pawn, however all three captures on c5 allow black to castle queenside fairly soundly, although it is still exposed 13.Bxf4 (13.Nxf4 0–0–0 similarly is holding for black for now; 13.Qxf4 0–0–0 again this is alright for black for the time being) 13...0–0–0 isn't too nice but black is holding (fritz gives under half a pawn to white)] 13.b3 0–0–0? an attempt at being tricky but this was just burying my head in the sand against a strong player (rated in the 180s) [13...exf4 was much better 14.Bxf4 0–0–0 (also 14...Ba3+ 15.Kb1 (not 15.Kd2 Qa5+ 16.c3 Nxc3 when black is winning) 15...Kf7 the king is actually fairly safe for the time being on this light square 16.e5 Re8 an unclear position; the computer doesn't know what to make of it) 15.Qg4+ (15.bxa4? Ba3+ 16.Kd2 Qb4+ 17.c3 dxc3+ 18.Nxc3 Qb2+ 19.Ke1 Qxc3+ and black is better) 15...Rd7 F actually just gives white a very slight advantage here] 14.fxe5 the game is essentially over by now [obviously 14.bxa4 Ba3#] 14...fxe5 [14...Ba3+ does nothing; 14...Nc5 was a better defence 15.Qg4+ Kb8 16.Bf4 Ka8 17.Kb1] 15.Qxe5 Bd6?! [15...Nc5 16.Qf5+ Kb8 17.Nxd4 still hopeless for black; the white knight obviously would come at the cost of the black rook] 16.Qa5 a good practical move removing practically any chance of black swindling [. 16.Qxg7 a classic computer move, Fritz greedily munches the g7 pawn. There was actually no way of black objectively getting any threatening counterplay, but there is no point in white risking complications when an easy win is in hand] 16...Qxa5 17.Bxa5 Ba3+ 18.Kb1 Nb6 [18...b6 doesn't really make any difference 19.Bd2 (19.bxa4?! would have been dubious 19...bxa5 20.c3 dxc3 21.Kc2 Kc7 22.Nxc3 Rb8 23.Rb1 Nf6 24.Be2 where white's technical task is not necessarily trivial against good defence, although ultimately the win should not be a problem) 19...Nc5] 19.g3 Nh6 I think I was planning on Nc2 Nd4, Fritz prefers immediate Nf6 20.h4 I guess preventing g5, further controlling the position 20...Ng4 I stupidly thought my opponent had accidentally left a hole and allowed my knight to d6, but obviously there is a catch; even so there wasn't really anything better 21.Bh3 h5 22.Rdf1 Be7 23.Nf4 Kb8 24.Bxg4 hxg4 25.Ng6 Rhe8 26.Nxe7 Rxe7 27.Rf4 g5? 28.hxg5 Rg8 29.Bxb6 axb6 30.Rxg4 A well played game by white who easily mopped up after my overambitious opening play. I can see a lot of sketchiness and rusty play from me in this game as with the other games in this tournament, (Fareham Congress Premier 2011), which were the first otb games I had played for some time. 1–0
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