[Event "Hamilton Russell Cup"] [Site "The Athenaeum"] [Date "2019.02.20"] [White "Cron, Nicholas"] [Black "Lee, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [Opening "Nimzowitsch Defence: 2.Nc3 Nf6"] {Notes by Peter Lee.} 1.e4 Nc6 {The Nimzowitsch Defence} 2.Nc3 Nf6 {Avoiding the invitation to transpose into a Vienna.} 3.Nf3 d5 {3..e5 transposes to the Four Knights Defence.} 4.e5 Ne4 {4..d4 is possible but very different.} 5.d3 {5 Ne2 may be better for White, a line of the Alekhine.} Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg4 7.d4 Qd7 8.Rb1 O-O-O {My Fritz makes this +0.3 for White, but I was happy.} 9.Bb5 a6 {Happy to play 9..a6 with gain of tempo.} 10.Bd3 f6 {Trying to break up and eventually control the centre.} 11.exf6 {11 Qe2 may be better. 11 ef6: helps Black’s plans.} gxf6 12.h3 Bf5 13.Nh4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 e5 {Black is better by now.} 15.Be3 e4 16.Qe2 h5 {To stop the Queen infiltrating.} 17.Ng6 Rh7 18.Nxf8 {Better to retain the knight with 18 Nf4.} Rxf8 19.g3 Na5 20.h4 Qa4 {20..Qc6 is stronger.} 21.O-O Qxa2 22.Rb4 Nc6 23.Rb3 Qa4 24.Rfb1 b5 25.Bf4 Kb7 {25..Kb7 avoids White moving a rook to the a file with tempo in some lines.} 26.Qf1 Qc4 27.Qxc4 {White is better to keep queens on, though his position is still bad.} dxc4 28.Ra3 Ne7 29.Re1 f5 {Black is winning comfortably by now.} 30.Raa1 Nd5 31.Bd2 Re7 32.Kg2 f4 33.gxf4 Nxf4+ 34.Kh2 Nd5 35.Kg3 Rf3+ 36.Kg2 Nxc3 37.Ra3 Nd5 {This wins a pawn back, but at the expense of simplifying to a easily won N v B endgame.} 38.Rxf3 exf3+ 39.Kxf3 Rxe1 40.Bxe1 b4 41.Ke4 b3 {If 42..Kd5: b2 queens. White can stop the pawn in the short term by 42 cb3: cb3: 43 Kd3 but the end game is absolutely hopeless ... Time for dinner!} {#R} 0-1