Ok, Chris has supplied a nicely annotated game - but asked for comments by another player. In this case, this is me - Graham Stuart. Where I have made a comment I have added
GS and put in blue.
Recurrent Themes and Time Trouble. Hampshire haven't had good results against Somerset in recent years, but a quick look at the team pairings before the match started showed that we have a good chance of winning this one for a change. My opponent is graded a little lower than me, perhaps enough to get him rattled if I put him under pressure, but I mustn't make any silly mistakes.
I've played Mr Neville twice before, both times in the Hampshire - Somerset matches so I was quite pleased to miss him by one board this time! I found him a solid player GS
1.d4
Nf6
2.Nf3
e6
3.e3
b6
4.Bd3
Bb7
5.Nbd2
d5
6.0-0
Nbd7
7.c3
Looks like my opponent is going for a Stonewall Attack. It's too late for Bf5 or Bg4 so I must prevent Ne5 and prepare for c7-c5.
I find there are so many ways to play against the Stonewall, that I drift into either a passive or over ambitious position.
Chris seems to have a plan, which is a good idea! Looking at the board (computer) with fresh eyes I have to admit that I quite like Black's Bishops, which are pointing at White's King.
It is also a bit like the King's Indian Attack, with Black playing A French type
of set up against, which is also probably why I like it GS
7...Bd6
8.Qc2
c5
9.e4
This looks premature. White should perhaps do Re1 first.
Checking my database I have got six games with the position before e4 - with Black scoring 5 points. The players are of mixed ability, but it does seem to favour Black.
Also, I always think White has played two moves to get in e4, when he could have
done this in one! GS
9...cxd4
10.Nxd4?
Rc8
[White's moved almost all his pieces away from his king. I looked long and hard at the Greek Gift sacrifice, 10...Bxh2+
, but nothing comes of it after say 11.Kxh2
Ng4+
12.Kg1
Qh4
13.N2f3+-
; Instead I should have played 10...dxe4
and if 11.Nxe4
(or Bxe4) 11...Nxe4
12.Bxe4
Bxh2+
The gift again. Possible because of the empty king's side. 13.Kxh2
Qh4+
14.Kg1
Bxe4-/+
Ok, looking at the position before Rc8 this very much reminds me of a French
Defense (as mentioned), which I play. In these lines after it looks advantageous
to open up the position. The combination Chris mentions confirms this - I would also be worried about White playing Nb5, swapping off my good Bishop and moving his other
Knight to d4 - GS]
11.exd5
[11.Nb5
Nc5
12.Nxd6+
(12.Nxa7
probably better) 12...Qxd6
13.Bb5+
Bc6
14.Bxc6+
Qxc6
15.e5
Nfd7
16.f4
with the idea of Nf3 and d4 - GS (but a pretty even position)]
11...Bxd5
12.N2f3
0-0
13.Bg5
Now I can start pushing white around.
13...h6
14.Bh4
Nc5
I would be worried about leaving the pin on the Knight, as the only easy way to get away from this is g5. I would probably be annoyed because of the pawn on b6, as I would like to play a6, Qc7 and moving the f6 Knight to e4, and then the Black Knight to c5 (although White would be doing something in the meantime). Therefore
Nc5 looks the best move - GS
15.Be2
This is not a good move, White may think that Black want to take the Bishop, but why? The Knight on
c5 is excellent, controlling e4, which Black now has three pieces hitting. White would do better to develop e.g. Rad1 - GS
15...Bf4
Did not consider this at all! it's a good move - this is where Chris and I differ
as players - GS
16.c4
Be4
17.Qc3
e5
A bit early, a6 is better - limiting White's Knight - GS [17...a6
]
18.Nb5
White's caught me up on time now.
18...g5
19.Rad1
Qe7
20.Bg3
Na4
21.Qb3
Nc5
He's got ten and I've got twenty minutes left for the next 19 moves. This is looking good.
22.Qc3
a6
23.Nd6
Rcd8
24.Nxe4
Nfxe4
25.Qb4
Qf6
[It might have been better to do the next few moves in a different order, vis 25...g4
26.Nh4
Qf6
27.Rd5
Rxd5
28.cxd5
a5
29.Qb5
Bg5
30.f3
Nd2
31.Rd1-/+
]
This is all getting messy - I would have liked to have kept it a bit simpler, as Black had the better position,
I think time trouble has started to take control - GS
26.a4
a5
27.Qa3
g4
It's not easy to see, but Black needs to exchange a pair of rooks first - GS [27...Rxd1
28.Bxd1
(28.Rxd1
Bxg3
29.hxg3
g4
and the Knight cannot move due to the weakness at f2) 28...g4
29.Bxf4
exf4
30.Ne1-+
]
28.Bh4
I thought he would move the knight...
28...Rxd1?!
I had and took plenty of time to think about this move, but my opponent didn't. It wasn't sound though!
29.Rxd1
Played quite quickly. With only a few minutes left on the clock, white didn't have time to think through the variations so took the safe option, fortunately for me. [He could have taken the queen! 29.Bxf6
Rxf1+
30.Bxf1
(I had only looked at 30.Kxf1
gxf3
31.Bxf3
Nxf6-/+
) 30...Nxf6
31.Nh4+/-
]
29...Qe6
30.Ne1
Ng5
31.Nd3
Nxd3
Preserving the bishop otherwise I could end up in an endgame with 2 knights
vs. 2 bishops in an open position.
32.Bxd3
e4
33.Re1?
Rd8
The calculated tactics are getting simpler but there's still a lot to think about. The e4 pawn is a tempting target for white and I've just self-pinned the defending knight. My intentional back-rank mate threat is obscured by two white pieces and plays a significant role in what follows. [Better was 33...Bd2
34.Re2
The rook has to be here for the combination to work. 34...Bb4
35.Qb3
Qg6
36.Bc2
And now we see a theme similar to the end of the Bush vs. Priest game played a couple of months ago and published here: http://www. hampshirechess.co.uk/Games/Other%20Games/Games/ Priest/cpriest.htm (36.Bxg5
exd3
) 36...Nf3+
37.Kh1
(White can't take the knight because of 37.gxf3
gxf3+
38.Bg3
fxe2
39.Qe3
e1Q+
40.Qxe1
Bxe1
) 37...Nxh4
38.Bxe4
Qg5-+
]
34.Bxe4?
He fell for it. [If 34.Bxg5
best is 34...exd3
(but I would likely play 34...Bxg5
and still hope for 35.Bxe4
as I apparently can't defend the pawn. 35...Qxe4-+
) 35.Rxe6
d2
36.Qe7
d1Q+
37.Re1
Bxg5
38.Qe4-+
White should just retreat the bishop to f1.]
34...Qxe4
Offering up my queen again! White's last minute starts ticking away while he figures out how not to take it. I've still got two or three minutes remaining - plenty.
35.Qc3?
Qd4
A piece up. Now I can exchange down to an endgame. [35...Bd2
This move (again) was best, but in a different context, a fork. 36.Rxe4
Bxc3
37.f3
Rd1+
38.Kf2
Nxe4+
39.fxe4
Bxb2-+
]
36.Qxd4
I think Bd2 is a hard move to spot, especially in time trouble - GS
36...Rxd4
37.g3?
An 'in serious time trouble' mistake, but white was lost anyway.
37...Nf3+
Wins the exchange as well. We won the match 10.5-5.5, so a good result all round. Did I play a sound game? I've been wondering recently how to evaluate that. Apart from the minor positional inaccuracies all
through the game which you expect at this level of chess, I gave my opponent one chance to win material and my opponent gave me five of which I took two. Three of those five chances involved fairly lengthy but forced lines, and four of them occurred in his time trouble. So I give myself -1 for offering a difficult chance and +2 for taking two easy chances (1 each. It would have been 2 for taking a difficult chance.) My opponent gets -3 for offering three hard chances and -4 for the two easy ones (2 each). Total: 1 against -7. So I think I played a reasonably sound game (small plus score), and my opponent blew it in time trouble (big negative score). 0-1
My comments are more along the lines of I think Chris got good position out of the opening, but used a lot of time to get it. This tends to happen in these lines, as there are lots of choices. You have to have a plan, which Chris did have, for me it was a very aggressive plan and made for an enjoyable game, where he outplayed his opponent. I think with the position after 17 moves is where players start to look for active moves, whereas Chris could have consolidated his position a bit more - not given his opponent the chance to get back in the game.
It was interesting to see Chris's moves in the middle game, as they were different to mine. I also think that he was looking out for combinations when they were both in time-trouble, more than the opening, as the one he missed was not that more complicated than the ones he spotted at the end.- GS