[Event "Spielvogel 2017"] [Date "2017.03.02"] [White "Rob Loveband"] [Black "Robert Bailey"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1581"] [BlackElo "1524"] [ECO "A85"] [Opening "Dutch: 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7"] 1.d4 f5 {I decided to try the Dutch again despite a nasty positional loss to Rob in the 2015 Club Championship where he played 2. Nc3 and adopted more of a london system. (RB)} 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 {Going for a Leningrad setup; something I've enjoyed playing over the years since the sage advice on its merits was given to me by both John Lavery and Peter Lumsdon in 2003. (RB)} 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.e3 O-O 6.Be2 d6 7.O-O Qe8 8.Qc2 {I knew I 'd faced this position before and sure enough in my collections found a game from the Country Vic Championships where John Frangakis had played the same line against me in 2003, deviating with 8. b3} e5 {Achieving equality but Rob's setup is quite solid and the next phase of the game is quite interesting.} 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Nd5 Na6 11.Bd2 c6 {Too negative; missing the chance to play more actively with Ne4.} 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.Bc3! {I underestimated the strength of this move - this piece became instrumental to Rob's pressure on my king-side.} Bd7 {A bit timid; probably needed to calculate deeper to make the Nc5-e4 plan work, a common idea in this system. Fritz wants to play Qe7 and b6 after the Bb4 idea that Rob and I looked at after the game. (RB)} 14.a3 c5 {A weak choice upon reflection, seeking to keep the knight out of d4 and at some point push e4.} 15.Nd2 Nc7 16.b4 cxb4? {This is definitely the start of a faulty set of moves where I start losing the thread of the game. Giving the opponent new targets and mobile pawns probably isn't a good idea generally! (RB)} 17.axb4 e4 18.Nb3 Ba4? {Leads to some troubles for black (RL) Rob and I both agreed on this after the game that this was where it went wrong for me. Curiously enough however, Fritz wanted me to play this move earlier. (RB)} 19.Bxf6 {After Rob took here without too much thought, I realised I'd made a mistake and absolutely sank into my chair, somewhat despairingly consuming oodles of time in the process. (RB)} Bxb3? {Better to take white's bishop with the rook (RL)} 20.Qc3 Bc2 {I spent time looking at the exchange sacrifice as well as the simple tactical motif with Rc8 and Nd5. Both looked pretty hopeless. (RB)} 21.Bh8?? {Forgetting that the knight can come to e6 protecting the mating square g7, and allowing black's bishop to get to d3.... careless play by white (RL) I was surprised by this and had seen Be5 whilst watching over Rob's shoulder (RB)} (21.Be5 Na6 22.Bd6 Bd3 23.Bxd3 exd3 24.b5 {Gets either the knight or the exchange (RL)}) 21...Ne6 22.Be5 Bd3 23.Bxd3 exd3 24.Qxd3 Rd8 25.Qc3 a6 26.c5 Qb5 {Qc6 maybe a bit more accurate with the idea of following up with b6. The final phase of the game is quite intense as I start to live perilously on the increment.} 27.Qb3 Rfe8 28.Rad1 Kf7 29.Rd4 Rxd4 30.exd4 a5 31.Rb1? {Would've been better to get the Queen to g3, heading for h4 to attack the king (RL)} axb4 32.f4 Rd8 33.Re1 Re8 34.Bd6 Qa5 35.Qd5 {notation not clear (Rob B. could you put the rest of the moves in please?) No problem Rob! (RB)} Qb5 36.Qb3 Qa5 37.Re2? Qa3?? {Blinded and hamstrung by the power of the lethal pin by the white queen and the hint of a passed pawn, Black misses the last remaining chance to gain true counter-play with Qa1+ and Qxd4. I felt after the game I'd missed tactics on white's central pawns and this proved to be the case. (RB)} 38.Qd5 Qa6 39.Ra2 Qb5 {Qc6 might hold for longer.} 40.Ra7 {I had mere seconds left here on the clock; but not finding any resource, decided to resign. A well deserved win to Rob L. I very much enjoyed the fighting nature of the final phase of the game despite the result. (RB)} {#r} 1-0