Thursday 26 November 2015
White: K. Hyde (174) - Black: K. Nevols
A long hard day at work, traffic delays leaving London, a three hour coach journey, home but no time to change or eat anything - just straight into the car. This was not a good way to prepare for a game with the club champion and the highest graded player - especially only a day after my last hard battle. However once more unto the breach.
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 c5
I had intended to wheel out the Benko Gambit and try to gain some initiative early on.
3. Nf3
But White doesn't want to co-operate.
3. ... g6
4. Nc3 cxd4
5. Nxd4 d6
A familiar Black set up.
6. g3 Nc6
7. Bg2 Nxd4
8. Qxd4 Bg7
9. O-O
So far so good. It is clear that White intends to play positionally and outplay me - a very reasonable strategy to use. Here the computer recommends 9. ... O-O 10. Qh4 Qa5 with Bf5 and an edge for White.
9. .. Qa5?
Instead I decide to delay castling. This is because I want to keep the option of h5-h4. The plan here is to swing the queen over to h5 and attack the king..
10. Nd5!
Of course! Blocks the fifth rank, stops castling, and makes the queen look silly. The computer now suggests Be6 11. Bd2 Qd8 12. Bg5 O-O which weakens the d-pawn after exchanges on f6. Other options are the grovelling 10. .. Kf8 or the admittance to an error with 10. ... Qd8.
10. ... Nh5?!
11. Qd3
11. Qh4 would threaten mate in one and if 11. ... Nf6 then 12. Bh6! - but White opts to keep the queen in the centre.
11. .. Bf5
12. e4 Be6
The purpose of this bishop manoevere was to block the White bishop's diagonal.
13. Bd2 Qd8
14. Bc3 Qd7
I should have castled now that I had the opportunity. The computer now recommends 15. Bxg7 Nxg7 16. Rad1 but in my view White selects a stronger idea.
15. f4! f5
To stop f5. White now had 49 minutes left for 20 moves and I had 36.
16. Rae1 Bxd5
17. cxd5 Bxc3
18. Qxc3
18 ... Nf6?
Castling is better with some serious grovelling after exf5 gxf5 and White has all sorts of attack options in the centre.
19. e5 Rc8
20. Qd4 dxe5
21. fxe5
Now I had a huge think to see if I could get something out of this mess. Moving the knight loses material to e6 so it had to go.
21. ... O-O
At last!
22. exf6 Rxf6
The computer of course grabs the pawn on a7. In that event I had intended Rc2 to see if there were any swindle chances with Rxg2.
23. Rf2!
Puts a stop to that idea.
23. ... Rfc6
My only clever move of the game exploiting the pin.
24. Qe5 Rc2
25. Rfe2
Qxe7 is possible - and it is even stronger on the next move. But White's position is so good anyway that it makes little difference.
25. ... Kf7
26. Qe6+ Qxe6
27. dxe6+ Kf6
28. Bxb7 R8c7
29. Bd5 Kg5
A bit of gung ho before White just mops up.
30. Bb3 Rxe2
31. Rxe2 Kg4
32. Kg2 h5
33. Rd2 h4
34. Rd4+ Resigns
A game that I was never in - but I can't complain at being outplayed so completely.
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