[Event "HR Cup"] [Date "2021.10.07"] [White "Cron, Nicholas"] [Black "Lee, Peter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C01"] [Opening "French: Exchange, 4.Nf3 Bd6"] {Notes by Peter Lee} 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 {Exchange Variation - very drawish reputation} 4.Nf3 Bd6 {4... Nf6 with symmetry may be better but I didn’t want that.} 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.O-O Bg4 7.Re1 Nd7 {7... Nc6 8 c3 Qd7 9 h3 Bf5 may be better. Note that 7… O-O allows 8 Bxh7ch} 8.c3 c6 9.Nbd2 Qc7 {Threatening 10... Bxh2ch} 10.Nf1 O-O-O {So far White is better according to Stockfish by about +0.5} 11.Bg5 f6 12.Bh4 Ng6 {Better 12 ... Nf5} 13.Bg3 Nf4 14.Bc2 g6 {Worried about Ne3 followed by Nf5} 15.h3 Bxf3 {If 15.. Bh5 16 Bxf4 Bxf4 17 g4 winning a piece. However the move played is fine.} 16.Qxf3 f5 {Now the position is about equal, but I have practical chances} 17.a4 Rde8 {White has visions of an attack} 18.b4 Nf6 19.a5? {Better 19 b5, when White may be slightly better. The move played allows me to stop White’s play on the Q side I am now better by about 0.6.} a6 20.Nd2 Ne4 21.Bxf4 Bxf4 22.Nxe4 fxe4 {Now I can attack the K and play against Q side weaknesses} 23.Qg4+ Kb8 24.Rad1 Rhf8 25.Bb3 e3 {Good, though 25… Bh2ch may be even better} 26.fxe3 Bxe3+ 27.Kh1 Bd2? {Much better is 27... Re4 though I am still OK} 28.Rxe8+ Rxe8 29.Qf3 Qf4 30.Qd3? {30 Qxf4ch is better but I am still well placed. Nicholas saw this, preferring to die quickly than slowly!} Be1 {Lots of good moves now; 30… Bc1 or 30… Qf2 are also good} 31.c4 {Now White collapses, but 31 Qf3 loses lots of pawns} Re3 32.Qc2 Qf1+ {#R} 0-1