[Site "?"] [Date "2017.12.31"] [Round "7"] [White "Kozikowski, Anthony"] [Black "Belanoff, Ted"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [Opening "Reversed Grob (Borg/Basman Defence)"] 1. e4 g5 $2 {Creates both a direct weakness, the pawn itself, and indirect weaknesses, the squares that the pawn can no longer defend (f5 and h5) for no good reason. All while letting white increase control over the center. Take caution when pushing your pawns, you can't move them back!} 2. d4 d5 3. e5 $6 { Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this move, why not bring a piece out with tempo?} (3. exd5 $1 Qxd5 4. Nc3) 3... g4 {If g5-g7 was legal, I would strongly consider playing it.} 4. h3 c5 5. Nc3 gxh3 $2 {Unnecessarily lets white develop another piece, which almost cost black dearly in the game.} (5... Nc6) 6. Nxh3 Bxh3 7. Rxh3 Nc6 8. e6 $5 {Correctly trying to take advantage of black's lack of development and weak king.} (8. Qh5 {was another option. An instructive engine line that emphasizes the weaknesses and passiveness of black's position:} e6 9. Bg5 Qc7 (9... Be7 10. Rf3 Bxg5 11. Qxf7#) (9... Qd7 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. O-O-O ) 10. O-O-O cxd4 11. Nxd5 $3 exd5 12. e6 {Opening lines to the king stuck in the center.} Bg7 13. Re1 Nf6 14. exf7+ Kd7 15. Qf3 {and with threats of Bxf6 and Qf5, black is clearly lost.}) 8... fxe6 9. Qh5+ Kd7 10. dxc5 Nf6 11. Qh4 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qxc5 13. O-O-O Rd8 14. Be3 Qa5 15. Bb5 $16 {White is down a pawn, but it is clear that he posseses many positional trumps. He has the safer king, more active pieces, better pawn structure, and the bishop pair. White has a large advantage.} h5 $2 {Getting the king to safety should be black's top priority.} (15... Kc8) 16. Bd4 Bh6+ 17. Kb1 Rhf8 18. Bxf6 Rxf6 19. Qxh5 { Now the material is even but white retains all previous positional advantages.} a6 $4 (19... Kc8 {Again, removing the king from the center while unpinning the c6 knight was most natural.}) 20. Ne4 $1 $18 {Wins a clean exchange.} Bg7 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. Bxc6+ bxc6 23. Rb3 Qc7 24. Qe2 a5 25. a4 Qf4 26. Rb7+ Kd6 27. Re1 $6 {Kozikowski has played an excellent game thus far, but he starts to lose thread of the position, and, along with some extremely tenacious defense by Belanoff, gradually allows black to untangle (time trouble?).} (27. g3 { Black's only source of counterplay is his central pawn majority, so as long as white ensures that the pawns cannot be advanced, the game is effectively over. One possible line is} Qf5 28. f4 $1 e5 29. fxe5+ Qxe5 30. Qa6 Qxg3 31. Rxd5+ $1 Kxd5 32. Qxa5+ Ke6 33. Qxd8 $18) 27... e5 28. c4 d4 29. g3 (29. f3 {might be a tad more accurate, preventing the e pawn from ever advancing.}) 29... Qf5+ 30. Qe4 Qxf2 31. c5+ Ke6 32. g4 $2 (32. Qxc6+ {It is far more important to take the critical c6 pawn than to protect the g3 pawn which has no prospects of advancing beyond g4.}) 32... d3 33. Rb3 Qc2+ $2 {This is the most natural move and likely what I would have played without a second thought, but Stockfish points out a much stronger move.} (33... Rd4 $1 34. Qxc6+ Kf7 35. Rc1 e4 $1 $19 {and the pawns cannot be stopped. White's only try is} 36. Rb8 {to try for mate on the back rank, but black can play} Rd8 $1 37. Rxd8 Qxb2#) 34. Ka2 d2 ( 34... Rd4 35. Qxd4) 35. Qf5+ $4 {The losing move.} (35. Qxc2 $1 {Sacrificing a rook for perpetual check.} dxe1=Q 36. Qf5+ Kf7 37. Qh7+ Kf8 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qg6+ Bg7 40. Qe6+ Kf8 41. Rf3+ Bf6 42. Rxf6+ exf6 43. Qxf6+ Ke8 44. Qe6+ $11) 35... Qxf5 36. gxf5+ Kxf5 37. Rd1 e4 $19 {I won't comment too much on the rest of the game as it was likely played in a time scramble, but this should be easily winning. The rook is no match for a bishop and 2 connected passed pawns. } 38. Kb1 Bg5 39. Rf1+ Bf4 40. Kc2 Ke5 41. Rb6 e3 42. Kd1 Rd4 43. b3 Kd5 44. Rb7 Re4 45. Ke2 Kxc5 46. b4+ axb4 47. a5 b3 48. a6 Ra4 49. a7 e6 50. Rd1 Kd4 $4 {Blundering the game away!} (50... Kc4 $19) 51. Rxb3 $4 {...and blundering it right back! Presumably, both players were down to their last seconds.} (51. Rb4+ $1 Rxb4 52. a8=Q $18) 51... c5 0-1