[Event "Hamilton Russell"] [Site "The Reform"] [Date "2019.12.04"] [White "Saunders, Richard"] [Black "Parry, IJ"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B00"] [Opening "Nimzowitsch Defence: 2.Nf3"] {Annotations by Richard Saunders} 1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 h6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 d3 7.Qxd3 d6 8.e5 Nge7 9.b4 Bb6 10.exd6 Qxd6 11.Qxd6 cxd6 12.Bf4 d5 13.Bb3 O-O 14.Re1 Be6 15.Nbd2 Rac8 16.Nf1 Rfd8 17.Rad1 Ng6 {The opening has resulted in an open position where each side has a weakness – Black’s isolated d pawn and White’s backward c pawn. With his next move White tries to defend the pawn at the cost of broken pawns on the K side. Although his two bishops provide some compensation, this leaves Black with the better position.} 18.Bd2 Bg4 19.Ne3 Bxf3 20.gxf3 d4 {Black aims to liquidate his isolated pawn but this does not work out well. It would have been better to go after White’s weakened K side with 20…Nh4.} 21.Nd5 dxc3 22.Bxc3 Bc7 23.b5 {Suddenly White has two strong bishops, a powerful central knight and threats against e7. Black now spent 23 of his remaining 25 minutes contemplating his next move.} Nce5 24.Bxe5 Nxe5 {A mistake. 24…Bxe5 would have left the position level after the combination played in the game.} 25.Rxe5 {White misses his chance. Although he comes out two pawns up, the opposite coloured bishops mean he cannot win. Instead after 25. Nxe7+ Kf8 26. Nxc8 Nxf3+ 27. Kf1 Black cannot take the R since 27…Nxe1 28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. Kxe1 loses a whole piece. So he must play 27 …Rxc8 after which White emerges the exchange for a pawn ahead and with excellent practical chances. Had Black taken on e5 with the bishop rather than the knight on the previous move, Ne7+ would have been met by …Nxe7 and a likely draw.} Bxe5 26.Ne7+ Kf8 27.Nxc8 Rxc8 28.Rd7 Rb8 29.Rxf7+ Ke8 30.Bd5 a6 31.Rxb7 axb5 32.Rxb8+ Bxb8 33.Bc6+ Ke7 34.Bxb5 Kd6 35.a4 Kc5 {White has two pawns but they cannot be exploited. Black simply parks the K on a5 and moves the bishop up and down the a1-h8 diagonal, and there is nothing White can do, thanks to the broken K side pawns. Although Black had only 40 seconds on the clock, it was right for White to accept the draw offer.} 1/2-1/2