[Event "Spiegoval memorial"] [Date "2017.02.09"] [Round "3"] [White "Kevin Perrin"] [Black "James Watson"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1540"] [BlackElo "1858"] [ECO "A16"] [Opening "English: Anglo-Indian, 2.Nc3"] 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 c5 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 g6 5.e3 Ne5!? {(JW) An attempt to create an imbalance. I came up with this idea years ago as a junior in this exct position and a FM who had looked at the game said he liked the move. even though it's objectivly not the best.} 6.d4 Nxc4 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.Ne2 Qxc5 {(JW) Blacks Up a pawn but white has play for it. here my engine says its roughly even including over the next several moves until black consolidates and catches up in development} 9.O-O Bg7 10.b3 Ne5 11.Bb2 O-O 12.Rc1 Qa5 13.Na4 d6 14.a3?! Qb5 15.Bxe5?! Qxe5 16.Rc7? {(JW) White has slowly allowed black a slight edge but after this black is clearly better according to my engine.} d5! 17.Qc1 Bg4 18.Nd4 Rac8 19.Rxc8 Rxc8 20.Qd2 Qh5 21.Qb4? {(JW) It's a difficult position to prevent black increasing the advantage, however after this move leading to a sequence in which black has a very large advantage} e5! 22.Nb5 {(JW) Now Bf8 or Be2 are both very good for black, however in tossing up between Bf8 immediately or a6 I chose to force the white knight to c3 hoping to limit the squares available to the white queen first.} a6?! 23.Nbc3 b5?? {(JW) And suddenly because of a miscalculation, black throws away all advantage. Incidentally d4! was still much better for black.} 24.Nb6 Bf8 25.Qa5 {(JW) Now I had originally intended 5...Rc5 here But suddenly realized that having moved my bishop from g7 the f6 square is weak and allows a royal fork in several lines. I was forced to go in to the tank for a long think. I knew that the only move here for black to keep equality is Rc6, but I wanted to play for a win still! and decided I was going to allow an exchange sac of some sort. Rxc3 is interesting and e4 would be a nice one if it wasn't for 25...e4 26.Qd8! Qf5 and now I dont get my pieces to their ideal squares.} b4? {(JW) I elected an alternative which would actually be very strong except I missed that white just takes it next move and still protects the knight on c8!} 26.Nxc8 bxc3 27.Qxc3! {(JW) Now white has a much better game and I was forced to try and figure out any ways I could create resources.} Qf5 {(JW) Here till blacks move on move 30 is what I calculated as a potential way to get my pieces to the right squares, even at the cost of an extra pawn.} 28.Nb6 Ne4 29.Qc2 Qe6 {(JW) ...Nxg3 would have got back an extra pawn, but I wasn't interested in trading. I felt my best cahnce was to create an attack} 30.Nxd5 Ng5 31.e4 Bf3 32.Qd3 Bxg2 33.Kxg2 Qh3+ 34.Kg1 f5!? {(JW) This isn't the objectively strongest move, however I think in human terms it offers black the best swindling chances.} 35.Rc1 fxe4 36.Nf6+ Kg7 37.Nxe4 Qf5! 38.Rc4 Nf3+ 39.Kh1?? {(JW) Kf1 was the only move, then after 39.Kf1 Qh3+ 40.Ke2 Nd4+ 41.Kd2 white is winning, however with alot of mess and complications plus no immediate win for white, black has chances for counter play..} Qh3!! {(JW) Kevin mentioned he had seen this but forgot about it. Now black is completely won. Incidentally kevin does very wellto find the only sequence of moves that allows white to stay in the game for a little while longer.} 40.Rc7+ Kh8 41.Rxh7+ Kxh7 42.Qd7+! Qxd7 43.Nf6+ Kg7 44.Nxd7 Bxa3 45.Kg2 e4 46.Nb6 Nd2 {(JW) A nice well fought game. Black should win from here without too much difficulty, but perhaps if not for the late hour it would be the sort of position to make the black side work for the victory.} {#R} 0-1