1.e4
g6
2.d4
d6
3.Be3?
Ns before Bs - this B might well be better on g5 and developing it now is premature.
3...c6
4.Be2
b5?
The same ? as for 3 Be3? The move is not bad but loses flexibility. [ Better 4...Bg7
when he keeps the Bronstein manoeuvre of 5...Qb6, when b2 is hard to defend, in reserve.]
5.g4!?
Bg7!
6.h4
Nf6!
Black simply develops and gets a nice game. The threat to e4 now distracts White.
7.f3
I spent quite a bit of time on [ 7.h5
Nxe4
8.h6
but decided this was just plain bad.]
7...h5!
8.Nd2
Qa5?
Black could and should consider castling - White's "attack" has been stopped in it's tracks.
9.c3
I had the feeling here that Hampshire Champion Mike Yeo would have found a sharper move, but I was already starting to drift towards time pressure and just wanted a quick, easy, solid move. The text opens a route for the Q to b3, supports d4, opposes the Bg7 and unpins the Nd2.)
9...e5?
It seems that Black should either have played this earlier, or prepared it for later. Castling is still possible - opening the centre while the K is there is foolhardy.
10.a4!
I love the logical counterpoint. We are taught to meet a flank advance with action in the centre. Here, White is already extended on the K-side (and could indeed run into problems here if the game opens up) but now meets Black's centre advance with an advance on the opposite flank! The dreadful position of the BQ makes it work, however.
10...Qb6
If this is best then B is in trouble.
11.axb5
hxg4??
Terrible. After the game we played through [ 11...cxb5
12.Qb3
hxg4
13.Bxb5+
Bd7
14.Bxd7+
Nbxd7
15.Qxb6
Nxb6
16.dxe5
attacking both Ns and winning.]
12.Nc4
Qc7
13.dxe5
dxe5
14.b6
Qd7
15.Nd6+
Kf8
16.Rxa7
after 16.. Rxa7 17 bxa7 and the pawn wins the Queen or becomes one himself. This may not be the quickest that I have had a pawn on the 7th, but it is the quickest I'd have queened one!"
1-0