[Event "Sandwich \"Black-and-White\""]
[Site "St Clement's Hall"]
[Date "2024.02.20"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Jon Hunt"]
[Black "Harry Sharples"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1586"]
[BlackElo "1712"]
[EventDate "2024.02.20"]
[ECO "B20"]
[PlyCount "51"]
{Languishing near the bottom of the draw, Harry and I embark on the first of two "must win" games (B&W Round 7). I succeed in my plan to get Harry out of book, and in the end I reap the rewards of taking the game into uncharted territory.} 1.c4 c5 2.e4 $5 {There! Now is this an English or a Sicilian?} 2...g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Bd3 $5 {Totally out of book - it's move 4, and there's not a single game in the database with these moves. However, the engine reads a quiet 0.0. White has given up his opening edge, but in return he has a totally unknown position on the board. I'm calling this the "Snake Anglo-Sicilian".} 4...Nc6 5.a3 d6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.h3 O-O 8.O-O Nd7 9.Re1 Nde5 10.Bf1 $6 ( 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Bf1 {is right.} ) 10...f5 ( 10...Nxf3+ $1 11.Qxf3 f5 {was the way to do this.} ) 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.f4 $2 ( 12.exf5 Rxf5 13.d3 {is fairly solid for White.} ) 12...Nc6 $1 $15 13.d3 fxe4 14.Nxe4 $1 {A good decision - the knight is centralised, and White begins to consider how he will unravel matters on the long diagonal.} 14...Bh6 $6 15.g3 $1 Bg7 $10 16.Ra2 Be6 $6 {Black appears to be targeting the rook on a2, but this proves to be an unfortunate choice of post for the light-squared bishop.} 17.b3 ( {Already White has the option of exploiting the opening of the e-file:} 17.Nxc5 $1 Bxc4 $1 18.dxc4 dxc5 19.Bg2 $14 ) 17...Nd4 {Black finally occupies the weak square in White's position, but can the knight really make use of it?} 18.Be3 Nf5 19.Kh2 Nd4 $2 {The knight has tried and failed, and White has not only caught up but now takes the lead in the game.} ( 19...Nxe3 $1 20.Rxe3 Bf5 21.Ng5 e5 $1 22.Bg2 exf4 23.gxf4 Bd4 24.Re1 $10 ) 20.Bg2 Qb6 $4 {Black's attack on the b3-pawn is misguided. It's time to open the e-file!} 21.Bxd4 $1 Bxd4 22.Ng5 $1 Bf5 $2 ( {Better, but not much better, is} 22...Bf7 23.Rxe7 d5 24.Nxf7 Rxf7 25.Bxd5 Rf8 ) 23.Rxe7 Rab8 24.Bd5+ Rf7 25.Rxf7 Re8 26.Rxb7+ {Black resigns. His king is paralysed and his queen lost. Both Kh8 and Kf8 fail to mate in one.} 1-0
