[Event "GM Gareyev's Blindfold Simul"] [Site "Reform Club, London"] [Date "2017.04.12"] [White "Evans, Peter"] [Black "Gareyev, Timur"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B01"] [Opening "Scandinavian: 2...Nf6"] {Comments by Peter Evans} 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nxd5 4.Nxd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 {Avoiding main line Qf3.} Nc6 6.Be2 e5 7.d3 Bc5 8.O-O Bf5 9.a3 {Plan to break on b4.} a5 10.Bd2 O-O 11.Bc3 Rad8 12.Qc1 {aiming for activity on the black diagonal.} h6 13.Re1 Rfe8 14.Rb1 a4 15.Bd1 {I didn’t like Nd2 with black invading on d4. This provokes e4 freeing up f4.} e4 16.dxe4 Bxe4 17.Qf4 {The process of freeing up the back rank begins here} Bd6 18.Qg4 Bg6 19.Qxa4 {Possibly Re8 more accurate but not much in it. The interesting black threat if for example white plays Nh4 is Qa2!!!} Be4 20.Be2 Qf5 21.Bd3 {The dilemma is to try to hang on to the pawn or accept equality vs a strong GM I chose the latter.} Bxd3 22.cxd3 Qxd3 {I accepted the draw the engine suggests tiny white advantage} 1/2-1/2