[Event "Sandwich v Bridge (Steele Cup)"]
[Site "St Clement's Hall"]
[Date "2023.02.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Graeme Boxall"]
[Black "Jon Hunt"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "1422"]
[BlackElo "1597"]
[EventDate "2023.02.28"]
[ECO "A43"]
{Since it was our only scoring game of the night, I'll dare to publish another one of my games. At least it's not as bad as the last one! Graeme and I seem to be well-matched opponents, in spite of a ratings lead on him I am quite unable to justify. This was a good scrap from start to finish. Once again, I prove that my rating is based mainly on getting away with murder in the endgame...} 1.d4 c5 2.dxc5 {No Czech Benoni for me tonight! Graeme knows well how to avoid a prepared opening line.} 2...e6 3.Nf3 Bxc5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.e4 d6 {This flexible set-up seems eminently playable, although White can force off the dark-squared bishop now with 6.Na4!.} 6.Bb5 ( 6.Na4 $1 Qc7 $1 7.Nxc5 dxc5 8.Qd3 e5 $1 ) 6...a6 7.Ba4 $6 ( 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 {gives White the edge, since Black's c8-bishop remains shut in for now.} ) 7...b5 $1 8.Bb3 Na5 {I decided to hunt down the bishop, if only for the psychological edge I thought it might provide.} 9.O-O Nxb3 10.axb3 {As expected, but it isn't clear that the a1-rook has any scope on the semi-open file.} 10...Bb7 {For the first time, the engine prefers Black.} 11.Qd3 Qb6 $2 12.Qe2 $2 ( 12.b4 $1 {I had originally discounted ...Qb6 because of this move.} 12...Bxb4 {I thought that Black was okay because he can take the pawn, but...} 13.Na2 $1 {and now either} 13...a5 ( {or} 13...Bc5 14.b4 Bxf2+ 15.Rxf2 ) 14.c3 Bc5 15.b4 axb4 16.cxb4 Bxf2+ 17.Rxf2 ) 12...Ne7 13.Re1 {I had expected Rd1.} 13...e5 $5 {Since Graeme was so committed to playing e5 himself now, it made sense to me to beat him to the punch. I fix my central pawns for the time being, but the engine confirms I'm still marginally better.} 14.Be3 Bxe3 {Forced - by now I understood the fragility of my bishop on c5.} 15.Qxe3 Qxe3 16.Rxe3 O-O ( {Also possible was the speculative} 16...f5 $5 17.Ng5 $6 h6 18.Ne6 Kf7 19.Nc7 Rac8 20.Nxa6 Ra8 $1 21.Nxb5 Rxa6 22.Rxa6 Bxa6 23.Nxd6+ Ke6 24.Nxf5 Nxf5 25.exf5+ Kxf5 $17 ) 17.Rd1 {The obvious move. I panicked that I had missed my chance to play ...f5 and played something suboptimal instead.} 17...b4 $6 {A missed opportunity.} ( {I rejected} 17...f5 $1 {because I feared White's piece sacrifice followed by infiltration of the 7th rank:} 18.Nxe5 $1 dxe5 19.Rd7 b4 $1 20.Rxb7 bxc3 21.Rxc3 Rfe8 22.Rcc7 Kf7 23.exf5 Rac8 $15 ) 18.Nd5 $6 ( 18.Na2 {was better, as I knew:} 18...f5 $1 19.Nxb4 fxe4 20.Nd2 $15 ) ( 18.Na4 {was also better, which I did not know:} 18...f5 $1 19.Nb6 Rae8 20.Nc4 fxe4 21.Nxd6 Rd8 22.Ree1 exf3 23.Nxb7 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 fxg2 25.Kxg2 $10 ) 18...Bxd5 $1 {A good choice - the knight will prove more useful than the bishop in the ensuing play.} 19.exd5 a5 ( 19...Rfc8 $1 {provokes} 20.c4 bxc3 21.Rxc3 Rab8 22.Rxc8+ Nxc8 23.Rc1 Ne7 $15 ) 20.c4 Rfc8 $6 ( {I thought the en passant capture was dangerous, but actually it's best here:} 20...bxc3 $1 21.bxc3 Rfc8 {The queenside pawns are an easy target.} ) 21.Nd2 f5 22.f4 e4 23.g4 fxg4 {Arguably a big decision.} ( {I considered the alternative and in particular this line:} 23...g6 24.g5 $6 Rc5 25.h4 a4 26.bxa4 Rxa4 27.b3 Ra3 $15 ) 24.Rxe4 $1 {I had suspected Graeme would play this less obvious capture. Instead of threatening Nxd6 he means to play Re6 and threaten Rxd6.} ( 24.Nxe4 $6 {is less effective:} 24...Nf5 25.Ree1 a4 26.bxa4 Rxc4 27.b3 Rc2 28.Rc1 Rb2 29.Rb1 $10 ) 24...Nf5 $1 25.Rde1 Kf7 {The king neatly covers all three infiltration points on e6, e7 and e8.} 26.Nf1 Re8 $1 27.Rxe8 Rxe8 28.Rxe8 Kxe8 $15 {I felt, my engine says, and most importantly Robert Starley concurs, that I'm better now. Sadly, I didn't make the most of it.} 29.Kf2 Kf7 30.Nd2 h6 31.Ne4 {Of course. White brings his knight to its best square.} 31...Kg6 $6 {It's an interesting idea to send the king this way, with dreams of dominating the h-file, but it allows White a powerful counterstrike, which sadly Graeme now finds.} 32.c5 $1 {Threatening to release the dangerous d-pawn on a sprint to the queening line.} 32...dxc5 33.Nxc5 Nd6 $1 {Panic over. Black is still in control, for now.} 34.Kg3 Nf5+ $6 {I mean to win the passed pawn and force a draw. In theory, this can be done...} ( 34...Kf5 $1 {retains an important edge in the position.} 35.Ne6 Ne4+ 36.Kh4 $4 g6 $1 37.Nf8 h5 38.Nh7 Kxf4 39.Nf8 Kf5 40.Nh7 Nf6 $1 41.d6 Nd7 42.Ng5 Ne5 $1 43.Nh7 Ke6 $19 ) 35.Kxg4 Ne3+ 36.Kf3 Nxd5 37.Ke4 Nb6 $6 {Black begins to drift.} ( 37...Nf6+ $1 38.Ke5 $2 Ng4+ ) 38.Nd3 $6 ( 38.Ke5 $1 ) 38...a4 $2 {Time for an excuse. Sadly, it's the usual one - my clock is running on fumes!} 39.bxa4 Nxa4 40.b3 Nc3+ 41.Ke5 Na2 $2 {This won't hold. I suspected as much. Sadly, Black had a better try here.} ( 41...Nb1 $1 {Ah! White can't defend his new passed pawn!} 42.Nxb4 Nd2 $10 {The draw was this simple.} ) 42.Ke6 $1 {When was taking the opposition ever a bad idea?} 42...Kh5 43.Kf7 Kg4 $4 {It should be game over now.} ( 43...g6 $1 {makes White work for it.} ) 44.Kxg7 h5 45.Kg6 Nc3 46.f5 Nd5 47.Nf2+ $2 Kf3 $1 48.h4 $4 {Can it be true? Could I still have grabbed a draw in this position?} 48...Kf4 $4 {A fatal - final? - misjudgment.} ( 48...Kxf2 $1 {works!! I was needlessly afraid of White's two unconnected passed pawns against my lone knight:} 49.Kxh5 Kf3 50.Kg5 Ke4 $1 51.f6 Nf4 {Super cool!} 52.f7 Ke5 $1 {I must read a book on knight endgames pronto!} 53.f8=Q Ne6+ 54.Kg6 Nxf8+ 55.Kf7 Ne6 56.h5 Nd8+ 57.Kg6 Ne6 58.h6 Nf8+ 59.Kg7 Ne6+ 60.Kf7 Ng5+ 61.Kg6 Ne6 62.Kf7 Ng5+ $10 {etc.} ) 49.f6 Nxf6 50.Kxf6 Kg3 {All I have going for me now is a poker face.} 51.Kg5 Kxf2 52.Kxh5 Ke3 53.Kg5 Kd3 54.h5 Kc3 55.h6 Kxb3 56.h7 Kc2 57.h8=Q b3 {It's all over, right? But Graeme pauses. I know there's a bit of technique needed in a position like this. White needs to use queen checks to force the black king in front of its pawn, and each time it blocks the pawn use the tempo to bring his king closer. It looks as though Graeme can't find how to proceed. If so, he isn't the first club player to find themselves faced with a finish that eludes them after two-and-a-half hours' hard play. "Well, there's not much to be done..." he avers. I maintain my aforementioned poker face. Finally, he tries:} 58.Qh2+ Kb1 59.Qg1+ Ka2 {And in this won position, my opponent offered me a draw. I seized his hand. A lucky escape, and our only scoring result of the night. ½-½ Here's the technique needed to secure the full point:} 60.Qa7+ Kb1 61.Kf4 b2 {What else?} 62.Ke3 Kc2 63.Qh7+ Kc1 64.Qc7+ Kd1 65.Qc3 b1=N ( 65...b1=Q 66.Qd2# ) 66.Qb2 Ke1 67.Qxb1# 1/2-1/2
