Wednesday 24 January 2018

HA3 (0.5-3.5) Braunstone 2



23 JanHeathcote Arms 3vBraunstone 2
½
1B122Ross, Colin½½Bingham, James146
2W92Roberts, Bill01Closs, Guy120
3B79Beach, Ray01Steel, Martin121
4W39Milner, Gordon01Barlow, Steve96

Here is my game against Jim Bingham complete with Jim's analysis which was rather more thorough than mine:




White:   J T Bingham (146) Braunstone 2 : Board 1 drawn
Black:  Colin Ross (122) Heathcote Arms 3 : Board 1
1 d4 e6 15 a3 a4? 29 Rbc1? Re5? 43 g5+ Kh5
2 g3 d5 16 Qc3 Na6 30 Rxe5? Nxe5 44 Nf8 Rf7
3 c4 Nf6 17 d5? exd5 31 f4 Nf3+ 45 Nxh7 Rxh7
4 Nf3 Nc6 18 exd5 Na7 32 Kg2 Nd2 46 Rxd5 Re7+?
5 Bg2 dxc4 19 Nd4 Rab8 33 Bd3 g6 47 Kd3 Kg4
6 Qa4 Bb4+ 20 Rfe1 Qc5 34 Rc5?? Nb3 48 Rd6 Kxf4
7 Bd2 Bxd2+ 21 Qxc5 Nxc5 35 Re5 Kg7? 49 Rxg6 Kf5
8 Nbxd2 Bd7 22 Rec1 Na6 36 Nd6? Bc6+ 50 Ra6?? Kxg5?
9 Qxc4 0–0 23 Ne4 Rfe8 37 Kf2? Rd8! 51 h4+ Kxh4
10 b4 Nd5 24 Nc5 Nxc5 38 Nxf7 Rxd3 52 = Rxa4+
11 e4 Ndxb4 25 Rxc5 Rbc8 39 Ng5 Rd2+ 53 draw agreed
12 Rb1 b5 26 Bf1? c6 40 Ke3 Rd7 54
13 Qb3 Qe7 27 dxc6 Nxc6 41 Ne6+ Kh6 55
14 0–0 a5 28 Nxb5? Rb8 42 g4 Bd5 56
Time control :- Fischer timing; 75mins to complete the game; with 10sec increments.
Analysis
4 ...Nc6 impacting on any plan I might have to play Ne5, troubled me slightly.
7 Good job I decided against Nc3 as Nd5 puts black on 0.5.
10 I thought b5 looked interesting, but Fritz gives Rc1; o-o; Nb3 as moves that put white on ~0.7.
11 o-o or a3 would have been sensible now; I liked the look of e4 - and it was playable, though Nb6 12 Qc3
would have just left us level.
12 o-o would have left me with sufficient compensation for my P, though Fritz also gives a3. I wondered if
Colin would play b5, as it seemed a bit bold; but he went for it!
13 Qc3 Nxa2 14 Qa3 etc was another interesting line that Fritz rates ~level. Colin's Qe7 was not best, but
I should then simply have played a3 when a possible line is Na6 15 Qxb5 Qxa3 16 o-o which is also ~level
15 ...Na6 should have been necessary now, but I subsequently wrongly decided against Rxb5 as I didn't
think Nxd4 18 Nxd4 Bxb5 19 Nxb5 was particularly favourable. In fact, This line is good for white, and if
18...c5 is played (to disrupt matters) 19 Rb7 is fairly good; but Fritz gives the excellent Nxe6!!
Fritz regards my17  d5 as pretty grim (rating black at 0.4.); and had Colin played the Fritz preferred reply, b4,
it would have been quite good for black. 
18 ...b4 was still best when 19 Qa1 Na5 leaves white on ~0.6.
19 Rfe1 immediately is preferred by Fritz. If Qc5 then Qd3 leaves white with a nice position (rated at ~0.6).
21 As I'd been hoping for a k-side attack I was reluctant to swap off the queens. But it was best. My next
couple of moves were also correct, but we still weren't far off being level.
24 I correctly decided against Nc6, when Nxc6 25 dxc6 Bf5 would have put black on 1pt: and Nc5 was also
better than d6.
25 ...Colin seemed very troubled by this position, and eventually chose the wrong R to move c8 (Fritz).
26 Fritz now gives Rbc1 (Kf8 27 h4 rated at 0.6), but I was a bit obsessed about Colin getting in check and
then following it up with the classic Bh3. In fact Fritz reckons any reply but Kf8 puts white on ~1pt. I
thought the reply c6 would be troublesome, but 27 dxc6 completely refutes this since the retake of the
pawn is hopeless. My Bf6 was actually an awful move, and Kf8 restores equality.
27 I was getting a stressed about my time now, and after spending a long time deciding whether Bxb5 was
best (it was) I played Nxb5 a bit hastily. After Bxb5 Nxd4 29 Bxd7 Rxc5 30  Bxe8 g6 31 Bxa4 Ra5 32 Rc4
leaves a pawn to the good, but still only rated at 0.4!
29 Rd1 Bg4 and then Rdc1 was a better line. But having apparently squandered my advantage my
composure was be coming increasingly suspect. However, Colin should now have moved his N (e.g.
to e5) as Re5 was a blunder which should have been met by Rxc6! When I would surely have been on
my way to a win. After My Rxe5 were ~level and remained like this until...
34 Nd4 was necessary to keep us level. Rc5 was an awful blunder because Nb3 meant my R and 
consequently my N were in big trouble. And I could suddenly see a familiar pattern emerging! But then
Colin made a comparable blunder and had  played...
36 Kf2 would have got me out of jail; but I wasn't thinking clearly now. Colin needed to play Nd4 now to
maintain some advantage. After this 37 Kf2 (my best move) Rb3 38 Re7 Be6 39 Bc4 Rf3+ 40 Ke1 Rxa3
puts black in the driving seat (rated at 0.8). Colin's tempting move should have been met by Be4 keeping
us level. After my blunder Kf2 Colin came up with the body blow Rd8!!
38 It seems like my best desperado line now was Nf5+ gxf5 39 Ke3, but it's still hopeless.
40 ...and now Colin's nerve seemed to be faltering despite our relative times being about 4mins to >10mins
(I think).  I suspect that he thought he was in danger of being mated or repeatedly checked. In fact after
Rxh2 (the expected move) 41 Re7+ Kh8 or Kg8 fine; but not the other k moves!
41 ...Kf7 42 Ng5+ Kg8 looks a bit uncomfortable, but is in fact fine. Kh6 was slightly less good, as my g4 looks
threatening!
43 I couldn't see g5+ achieving much, but it was my obvious choice. Interestingly f5 instead could have
resulted in gxf5 44 g5+ Kh5 45 Rxd5 Rxd5 46 Nf4+! - but this still leaves black with the edge!
46 ...just when I seemed to have achieved some improvement, Colin could have nullified this with Kg4!
Instead, as he was struggling to cope with time problems, he kept my a hopes alive a bit.
48 ...Nc5+ 49 Kc4 Ne6 would have kept black well on top (rated at 2.8). But, instead Colin allowed me to
eliminate his last but one pawn and left us not far off level!
50 I now needed to play Rg8 to stay in the game. This seems blatantly obvious now! Instead I made the
disastrous blunder Ra6, when Colin could have demoralised me completely with Nc5+!! In the stressful
circumstances he was blinkered (I assume) into winning my gP. Shortly after this fortunate escape, I
realised the fork was available to him, and it was easily avoidable. In fact after 51 h4+ if Colin had moved 
his K to h5, say, I intended Kc4 - when Fritz rates as us fairly level.
52 Anyway, with match already decided I think we were both relieved that we could agree a draw, and
free ourselves from any further stress!