D43

Robin Triggs
Ray Devenney

QUB -v- Fisherwick A
9th January 2002


1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5

Too passive for my liking. Bb4 keeps up pressure on the white centre, but there were a number of options.

9. a3 a6 10. Be2 Bb7 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Re1

Looking to push the d pawn, should c5 be played.

12... Nh5 13. Be5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Nf6

White is down a pawn, but has a much better position. The central pawns look weak, but black has few attacking options.

15. Bf3 Bd6?

This just loses position.

16. Nxf7 Bxh2+ 17. Kxh2 Kxf7 18. e5 Nd5 19. Bh5+

19. Ne4 may have been better.

19... Kg7 20. Ne4 Rf8 21. Nd6 Qe7 22. Kg1 a5 23. g3 Kh8

A good move, limiting white's attacking options.

24. Qc2 Qg7 25. Kg2?

A bad mistake - Nxb7 was correct, as although it surrenders white's most powerful piece, after 25. ... Qxb7 26. Qg6 picks up a pawn and white has a slight advantage. As it was, black was able to exploit a tactical weakness in white's position.

25... c5! 26. Kg1 Bc6

Black has plans!

27. dxc5 Ra7 28. Qd2??

White has missed the point of Ra7. The queen move is nothing more than an attack on the a pawn (assuming that black is planning Rc7). But white is surrendering g6, a crucial square.

28... Nf4!!

And the game is effectively over.

29. g4 Nh3+ 30. Kf1 Nxf2 31. Qxf2 Rxf2+ 32. Kxf2 Qf8+ 33. Ke2 Qf4 34. Rf1 Qxe5+ 35. Kd1 Qxc5 36. Nf7+ Kg7 37. Kd2 Qd4+ 38. Kc1 Qe3+ 39. Kd1 Rd7+

It was a good game, I thought I had him, but one or two bad moves...

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