[Event "Hillingdon League, boadr 4"] [Site "Hatch End"] [Date "2024.11.05"] [White "Cherag Irani"] [Black "Andy Hayler"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "1733"] [BlackElo "1930"] [ECO "A46"] [Opening "Indian: 2.Nf3 e6"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 {transposing to a Benoni if White plays d5. He can also just play Bc3 here.} 4.d5 {A Benoni it is.} exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.e4 Bg7 8.Be2 {The classical main line.} O-O 9.O-O Re8 {White usually plays moves like Nd2 or Qc2 here, or a4.} 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4?! {This is pretty dubious. I'd like to say it is a pawn sacrifice but is suspect he just missed by next move.} g5 12.Bg3 Nxe4 {White has some freedom but it is not much for such an important pawn} 13.Nxe4 Rxe4 14.Bd3 Rb4 {14. ... Re8 is obviously also possible but this odd looking manoeuvre happens in a few Benoni lines.} 15.Rb1 Rxb2 {15. ... Bg4! was bst. This is maybe a bit greedy.} 16.Rxb2 Bxb2 17.Qc2 {I expected Qe2 here. Then 17. ... Bg7 18. Re1 ... and White has a fair bit of compensation, though not 19. Qe4? f5!} Bg7 18.Re1 {Logical though h4 is another idea.} Na6 {Black has trouble developing his knight due to ... Nd7 dropping the d pawn. This manoeuvre is also common in the Benoni, with ... Nc7 or ... Nb4 fi White allows. White can and does weaken the pawn structure by exchanging but at the cost of his bishop pair.} 19.Bxa6?! {19. h4 ... was about equal.} bxa6 20.Qa4 Bb7 {20. .. Bd7 was fine, giving back the a pawn. 20. ... Bd7 21. Qxa6 Qb6 and Black is better} 21.Qe4 Qf6 {Better ... Qd7} 22.Rb1 Rb8? {This looks odd but there is some tactical trickery that looked appealing to me in some lines. However just ... Bc8 was clearly the best move.} 23.Qa4 {23. h4! ...} Qd8 {23. ... Qf5 also} 24.Qb3 Bf8 {This odd looking move is useful. Something like Qc4? now loses to ... Bxd5!} 25.h3 Qc7 {25. ... f5 was best} 26.Re1 Qa5 {26. ... c4} 27.Qc4 Qb4 28.Qd3 Qb5 {28. ... c4} 29.Qf5 Bc8 {29. ... Re8 wand Black was on top.} 30.Qf6 {Suddenly White has some tactics in the air.} Qd7 {30. ... Qb6! =} 31.Nxg5! hxg5? {Although I still had over 20 minutes here I fell apart. 31. ... Bg7 was still bad but better than this} 32.Qxg5+? {32. Re5! ... was hardly obvious but winning.} Bg7 33.Re4 Qf5?? {The cool 33. ... Rb4 was winning for Black.} 34.Re8+ Kh7 35.Qxf5+ {I had just miscalculated, expecting 35. Qh4 Bh6 and Black is OK. Now this is horrible but Whitem down to two minutes of time against my 20, offered a draw and I naturally accepted.} 1/2-1/2