Frederic Lemience – Bram Molenaar, NIC 22/23 ronde 1

Frederic Remience
Bram Molenaar
Result: 0-1

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Date: 25 september 2022
Location: Leuven
Tournament: Nationale Interclubs
Round: 1
Opening: C44 King's Knight/Ponziani/Scotch/Göring
Submitted by: Bram Molenaar
Published on: 28 september 2022

[Event "Nationale Interclubs"]
[Site "Leuven"]
[Round "1"]
[Date "2022.09.25"]
[White "Frederic Remience"]
[Black "Bram Molenaar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Bram Molenaar"]
[ECO "C44"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[Puzzle "0"]
[DateTime "2022.09.25"]
	1. e4 { In this game, I was in control and seized the advantage relatively well. I missed some earlier chances and I sometimes gave my opponent the chance to equalize (or close to) later on, but I never blundered and am proud of my performance. I believe I won because I understood basic principles and some positional ideas better than my opponent. Eventually, he blundered a piece giving me the decisive advantage that I managed to convert. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Be2 { Here I thought my opponent had some shenanigans up his sleave. I made a mental note to be extra carefull castling kingside. } 3... Nf6 4. d3 h6 { Stopping annoying pins, and possibly creating luft for the future. } (4... Bc5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4) 5. O-O Bc5 { Preparing castling and hoping for Be3, trading bishops. My LS Bishop should be better than his, because my pawns are on dark squares and his bishop is blocked in. } 6. Nc3 { Here I started debating 0-0 d6 and moving my a-pawn (to tuck my bishop away). I dismissed d6 because Na4. I wasn't sure on a6 or a5 (potentially losing a tempo in the future, and because I might want to try and play d5 at some point I decided to 0-0 (castle before opening the position) } 6... O-O (6... d6 7. Na4 Bb6 8. Nxb6 axb6 $14)  (6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 $10)  (6... a6 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 { I feared that this position was the reason he played Be2. } { [%cal Gf1f7,Ge2h5,Gh5f7] }) 7. Na4 (7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. e4 Qd6 $10 { I think this is objectively equal, but I prefer black because white his blocking his own bishop, while my bishop can roam free in my domain, and target stuff at least. White's bishop is on defending duty. }) 7... Be7 { I lost a tempo going back, but he lost a tempo going to a4, right now his knight is silly and he will need another tempo to make his Knight useful again. } (7... Bb6 8. Nxb6 axb6 $10 { Honestly this is probably pretty equal, but I think black should try to keep the position more closed and I didn't like that. I fear the bishop pair long term. }) 8. Be3 Re8 { If I could have last move, I would have played Bf8, but I couldn't. Now I gain that option for the future, and my rook can support my e-pawn if I decide to play d5. My teammates said I should have just played d4 here anyway. In retrospect, I agree. } (8... d5 9. exd5 (9. c3 dxe4 10. dxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Rad1 Be6 $15)  (9. Nc5 d4 10. Nxb7 Bxb7 $19)  (9. Nc3 d4 $19) 9... Nxd5 $15 { I like this version of d5 more than the one before castling. His Knight is out of place, his BS bishop is under attack, so I think in the end I'm up at least 1 tempo. }) 9. Nc3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 { I still feel like I have an advantage here. Re8 might have been a mistake earlier, because if his Knight reaches e4 I might want to play f5 and want my rook behind it. If worst come to worst I can trade of my Bishop for the e4 Knight at least. } 12. Nd2 Nd4 { I see a chance to win the bishop pair, and I take it. It is "controversial" because I move my Knight twice and my LS bishop is still on c8. I didn't see a way for him to prevent me from winning the pair, but his battery makes it more difficult. Bg4 f5 Bh5 line, but in the end I win the pair. } 13. Bxd4 (13. Bg4 f5 14. Bh5 Rf8 15. Bxd4 (15. Re1 { Refuse to take the Knight, resulting in a better position then the alternative. } 15... f4 16. Bxd4 Qxd4 17. c3 Qd5 18. Ne4 { I missed that white can simply refuse to take my Knight, and if he does and I force the issue we get this position. I'd say we are equal, but the position is more tricky and harder to open up than I would like. })  (15. c3 f4 16. Bxf4 Rxf4 17. cxd4 Rxd4 $15) 15... Qxd4 16. Nc4 $15 (16. Rb1 $15)) 13... Qxd4!? { My teammates wanted exd4 because it opens up my rook. That was my initial intention, but I wanted to be able to kick out the Knight from e4 with f5 and that would make my f pawn kind of isolated. } (13... exd4 { this line is just to show the concept. } 14. Ne4 f5 15. Nd2 { I don't like opening up the diagonal, but it's worth it to stop the monster Knight. But the pawn on f5 is isolated if I don't push my "king protector pawns" and I really don't like pushing them if I don't have to. } { [%csl Gf5]
[%cal Gb3g8] }) 14. c3 Qd6? { I thought long here, and I decided Qd6 was fine because I wanted to do to g6 anyway. By process of elimination in PM, Qb6 was the best option. I did not see the eventual Bh5 response from my opponent in my calculation, which makes Qb6 the way better option. } 15. Ne4 Qg6? { Still not seeing Bh5 and I was enarmored with my own Bh3. I should have looked more at my opponents moves. } 16. Bh5! (16. Rb1 Bh3 17. Bf3 $16 { My Bishop h3 idea doesn't even work... }) 16... Qb6 17. Qf3 Be6 (17... g6 18. Qg3 Kh7 19. Be2 Bf8 $14) 18. b4?! { I think he should have played Bg4, trying to get one of my bishops, and making his Knight even more felt. My Queen and Bishop blocking my Queenside pawns hinder my play in those variations. } (18. Bg4 Bxg4 (18... Bd5 19. c4 Bc6 20. Rab1 a5 $10) 19. Qxg4 $10 { I lose my Bishop pair advantage. }) 18... Rad8 { I wanted to bring all my pieces into the game, and whites d-pawn is currently a weakness so it makes sense to target it. } 19. a4 g6 { I thought I had missed a fork, ...g6 Bg6 f5 to win a piece, and was annoyed that I had not seen this earlier. Due to my opponents response now I see that it doesn't quite work, but I think it still improves my position. } 20. Qg3 { Only way to stop the fork. } { [%cal Gf7f5,Gh5g4] } 20... Kh7 21. Be2 { white has to go here, otherwise white loses a material. } (21. Bf3 f5 22. Nd2 e4 $19)  (21. Bd1 f5 22. Nd2 e4 23. d4 Bxb4 24. cxb4 Rxd4 25. Nb3 (25. Nb1 Red8 26. Bc2 Qxb4 27. Na3 (27. Qxc7+ { start of the best line for white. } 27... R8d7 28. Qc3 Qxc3 29. Nxc3 Rc4 30. Nb5 Rxc2 31. Nxa7 $15 { I think this is the best line for white. Did not see this all during the game at all! }) 27... Bb3 28. Bxb3 Rd3 29. Qxc7+ R8d7 30. Qb8 Rxb3 31. Qxa7 Rxa3 32. Rxa3 Qxa3 33. Rb1 Qe7 $17) 25... Rd3 26. Qh4 Rxb3 $19) 21... f5 { Currently my e5 pawn is hanging and I was looking at variations where I move my LS bishop to c8, so that I can get a discovered attack on his Queen afterwards, but I felt like his e5 Knight kept the position equal in those variations. } (21... Bc8 22. Qxe5 Bxb4 23. Qg3 Bd6 24. Nxd6 Qxd6 25. Rfe1 (25. Qxd6 Rxd6 26. Rfe1 Rde6 27. Kf1 $10)) 22. Nd2 (22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. bxc5 Qxc5 $17) 22... Bf6 { Bd6 was too obvious, and this eyes the c3 pawn and the rook an a1 if the future. I feel like this position is better than the Bc8 variation earlier, because my pieces are better placed and I didn't give up an e pawn for a b pawn (center for side). } (22... Bd6 23. Nc4 Bxc4 24. dxc4 e4 25. Qe3 $15 { Now I want my Bishop on the h8-a1 diagonal anyway. }) 23. Nc4? { It was the move I expected, it's hard to look at anything else, but I think Qe3 is better. Probably also a good idea to bring in his f rook. } (23. Qe3 e4 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. d4 Ra8 26. Bc4 Bd7 $10)  (23. Rfe1) 23... Bxc4 { Gives me a strong position, and moving my Queen seemed to not accomplish anything. } (23... Qc6 24. Bf3 Qd7 25. Nb2 (25. Rfd1 e4 26. dxe4 Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Bxc4 29. h3 Rxe4 (29... Be5 30. Qf3 Rd8 31. Be2 Bxe2 32. Qxe2 Bxc3 33. exf5 Rd7 34. fxg6+ Kg7 $18 { Another variation better for white. }) 30. Qxc7+ Bg7 31. Qxb7 (31. Bc2 Re1+ 32. Kh2 Rc1 $19)  (31. Bf3 Re1+ 32. Kh2 $18 { Looks like there is one variation where white comes out on top. I didn't move my Queen because it didn't improve my position, but apparently, it also could have lost me my advantage. }) 31... Re1+ $19) 25... e4 26. dxe4 Bxc3 27. exf5 Bxf5 28. Ra2 $19 Qd2 29. Rd1 Qxb2 30. Rxb2 Rxd1+ 31. Bxd1 Re1#) 24. dxc4 Rd2 { Here I felt really dominant. } 25. c5 Qe6 26. Qe3 Bg5?! { I saw the refutation of f4 only after I made the move. I'm really glad he didn't see it. My other candidate moves where Red8 and Ra2. Rd8 is what I would have played if I couldn't make up my mind, but I slightly prefer Ra2. } (26... Ra2 27. Rxa2 Qxa2 28. Bd3 (28. Rd1 Qxa4 29. Qd3 Re7 $15) 28... Qxa4 $17)  (26... Red8 27. Rfd1 Rxd1+ (27... f4 28. Qf3 (28. Qe4) 28... Qd5 29. Rxd2 (29. Qxd5 R8xd5 30. Kf1 Rxd1+ 31. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 32. Bxd1 e4 33. Bc2 Bxc3 34. Bxe4 Bxb4 35. Bxb7 Bxc5 $15) 29... Qxf3 30. Bxf3 Rxd2 $15) 28. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 29. Bxd1 Qc4 (29... e4 30. a5 (30. Qd2 Qe7 $10) 30... Qc4 31. Be2 Qxc3 32. Qxc3 Bxc3 $17 { Only black can win this. } 33. c6 bxc6 34. Ba6 Bxb4 35. Bb7 c5 36. a6 c4 37. Kf1 (37. Bd5 c3 38. Bb3 Kg7 39. Kf1 Kf6 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kd1 Kd4 42. Bf7 g5 43. Bg6 f4 44. f3 e3 45. Bc2 Kc5 46. Ke2 Kb5 47. Kd3 Kxa6 48. Ke4 Kb5 49. Kf5 a5 50. Kg6 a4 51. Kxh6 a3 52. Bb1 c2 53. Bxc2 a2 54. Bb1 axb1=Q $19) 37... c3 38. Ke2 Kg7 39. Kd1 Kf6 40. Kc2 Ke5 41. Bc6 Kd6 42. Bb7 c6 $19) 30. Qd2 $10) 27. Qf3?? (27. f4 Bxf4 28. Rxf4 exf4 29. Qxd2 Qxe2 $10 30. Rd1 $16 Qe3+ 31. Qxe3 fxe3 32. Rd7+ Kg8 33. Kf1 e2+ 34. Ke1 Kf8 35. Rxc7 $16) 27... e4 28. Qg3 Rxe2 29. Qxc7+ Re7 30. Qb8 b6?! { My teammates where of the opinion that a6 was less committal, I'm not sure if it is better. It's hard to analyze because there are so many options afterwards! However, after looking at white's options after a6 I do believe that they are right. It's easier for white to keep pressure on the a7 pawn than on the b7 pawn, and a6 doesn't give white a passed pawn for the time being. } (30... a6 31. Rad1 Rd2 32. Rxd2 (32. Qa8 Red7 33. Rxd2 Bxd2) 32... Bxd2 33. Rd1 Bxc3 34. Rd8 Bxb4 35. Rh8+ (35. c6 Bd6 36. c7 Rxc7 $19) 35... Kg7 36. Rg8+ Qxg8 $19)  (30... e3 31. Qxa7 (31. fxe3 Qxe3+ 32. Kh1 Re1 33. Raxe1 Qxe1 34. Rg1 Be3 35. h3 $19)  (31. f3) 31... exf2+ 32. Rxf2 Re1+ 33. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 34. Rf1 Be3+ 35. Kh1 Qxf1#) 31. Rad1 Rd2 { I want to trade pieces, and getting at least one pair of rooks off the board I think increases my winning chances by a lot. } 32. Rxd2 Bxd2 33. Rd1 Rd7 { I heavily debated Bxc3 or this move, but this one looked safer to me. It increases the chances for a rook trade increasing my advantage, and I still have the option to win a pawn with my bishop later on. But in analysis, I think Bxc3 is better, because it covers the h8 square anyway, making it extremely difficult for white to pose any real threats. } (33... Bxc3 34. cxb6 Qxb6 35. Qf4 Bxb4 $19) 34. Qc8 Qe7 35. c6 Rc7 36. Qa8 Bxc3 37. b5 f4 { I wanted to mount a counterattack and saw this as a way to leverage my extra bishop. I didn't want to let the game drag on too much because I feared miscalculation in my defense against white's passed pawn at some point. The idea behind f4 is basically just that I want to play e3 e2, and the rook can't stand on e1 because my bishop covers it. } 38. Rd8 Qg7!? { I was afraid of Re8 skewering my Queen and pawn, but looking at the variations I missed that I would win anyway. } (38... e3 39. Re8 (39. fxe3 fxe3 40. Re8 e2 41. Rxe7+ Rxe7 42. Kf2 e1=Q+ $19) 39... e2 40. Rxe7+ Rxe7 41. h4 e1=Q+ 42. Kh2 $19) 39. Qb8 (39. Kf1 e3 40. fxe3 fxe3 41. Ke2 Bd4 42. Rd7 Rxd7 43. cxd7 Qxd7 44. Qc6 Qg4+ 45. Kd3 e2 46. Qc7+ Bg7 47. Kd2 Qxg2 48. Qxa7 Qf1 49. Qe7 Qd1+ 50. Ke3 e1=Q+ 51. Kf4 Qxe7 $19) 39... e3 40. Rh8+ { I think he should have played fxe3 to keep drawing chances somewhat alive. } (40. fxe3 fxe3 41. Kf1 Qf7+ 42. Ke2 Qf2+ 43. Kd3 e2 (43... Be5 44. Rh8+ Bxh8 45. Qxc7+ Bg7 46. Qe7 e2 47. Qxe2 Qxe2+ 48. Kxe2 Be5 $19)  (43... Qd2+ 44. Ke4 Re7+ 45. Kf3 e2 46. Rxd2 (46. Rd7 e1=Q) 46... Bxd2 47. c7 e1=Q 48. c8=Q Qe2+ 49. Kg3 Qe3+ 50. Kg4 Re4+ 51. Qf4 Qxf4+ 52. Kh3 Qh4#) 44. Qxc7+ (44. Rd7+ Bg7 45. Qxc7 e1=N+) 44... Bg7) 40... Qxh8 41. Qxc7+ Qg7 42. Qxg7+ (42. Qxf4 e2 $19) 42... Kxg7 43. c7 e2 44. h3 e1=Q+ 45. Kh2 Qe8 { White resigns. 0-1 Work points: 1. I need to look deeper into central pawn breaks early on in my games, I'm a bit too passive there. 2. When ahead I played a bit too carefully, I'm thinking mainly of ...38. Qg7. I'm not sure how to rectify that. At the end of the game I had 14 minutes left, and we had reached the second time control, so in total 44 minutes left. That means that for some critical moves like ...26. Bg5 I should have taken a few more minutes. 3. ...14. Qd6 is a type of mistake I make often. Placing my Queen on a good square I often fail to do. I'm not sure how to get better at this because I did take about 10 minutes on my eventual move. I'm proud of: I feel like I was in control during this game. I know that I at times gave away most of my advantage, but I don't think that even if my opponent had capitalized that he would have been better. Usually, I lose focus near the end, but I think I managed my energy well this time around and made no real blunders at the end. } 0-1

1. e4 { In this game, I was in control and seized the advantage relatively well. I missed some earlier chances and I sometimes gave my opponent the chance to equalize (or close to) later on, but I never blundered and am proud of my performance. I believe I won because I understood basic principles and some positional ideas better than my opponent. Eventually, he blundered a piece giving me the decisive advantage that I managed to convert. } 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Be2 { Here I thought my opponent had some shenanigans up his sleave. I made a mental note to be extra carefull castling kingside. } 3... Nf6 4. d3 h6 { Stopping annoying pins, and possibly creating luft for the future. } (4... Bc5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4) 5. O-O Bc5 { Preparing castling and hoping for Be3, trading bishops. My LS Bishop should be better than his, because my pawns are on dark squares and his bishop is blocked in. } 6. Nc3 { Here I started debating 0-0 d6 and moving my a-pawn (to tuck my bishop away). I dismissed d6 because Na4. I wasn't sure on a6 or a5 (potentially losing a tempo in the future, and because I might want to try and play d5 at some point I decided to 0-0 (castle before opening the position) } 6... O-O (6... d6 7. Na4 Bb6 8. Nxb6 axb6 $14)  (6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 $10)  (6... a6 7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 { I feared that this position was the reason he played Be2. } { [%cal Gf1f7,Ge2h5,Gh5f7] }) 7. Na4 (7. Be3 Bxe3 8. fxe3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 Qxd5 11. e4 Qd6 $10 { I think this is objectively equal, but I prefer black because white his blocking his own bishop, while my bishop can roam free in my domain, and target stuff at least. White's bishop is on defending duty. }) 7... Be7 { I lost a tempo going back, but he lost a tempo going to a4, right now his knight is silly and he will need another tempo to make his Knight useful again. } (7... Bb6 8. Nxb6 axb6 $10 { Honestly this is probably pretty equal, but I think black should try to keep the position more closed and I didn't like that. I fear the bishop pair long term. }) 8. Be3 Re8 { If I could have last move, I would have played Bf8, but I couldn't. Now I gain that option for the future, and my rook can support my e-pawn if I decide to play d5. My teammates said I should have just played d4 here anyway. In retrospect, I agree. } (8... d5 9. exd5 (9. c3 dxe4 10. dxe4 Nxe4 11. Qxd8 Rxd8 12. Rad1 Be6 $15)  (9. Nc5 d4 10. Nxb7 Bxb7 $19)  (9. Nc3 d4 $19) 9... Nxd5 $15 { I like this version of d5 more than the one before castling. His Knight is out of place, his BS bishop is under attack, so I think in the end I'm up at least 1 tempo. }) 9. Nc3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxd5 Qxd5 { I still feel like I have an advantage here. Re8 might have been a mistake earlier, because if his Knight reaches e4 I might want to play f5 and want my rook behind it. If worst come to worst I can trade of my Bishop for the e4 Knight at least. } 12. Nd2 Nd4 { I see a chance to win the bishop pair, and I take it. It is "controversial" because I move my Knight twice and my LS bishop is still on c8. I didn't see a way for him to prevent me from winning the pair, but his battery makes it more difficult. Bg4 f5 Bh5 line, but in the end I win the pair. } 13. Bxd4 (13. Bg4 f5 14. Bh5 Rf8 15. Bxd4 (15. Re1 { Refuse to take the Knight, resulting in a better position then the alternative. } 15... f4 16. Bxd4 Qxd4 17. c3 Qd5 18. Ne4 { I missed that white can simply refuse to take my Knight, and if he does and I force the issue we get this position. I'd say we are equal, but the position is more tricky and harder to open up than I would like. })  (15. c3 f4 16. Bxf4 Rxf4 17. cxd4 Rxd4 $15) 15... Qxd4 16. Nc4 $15 (16. Rb1 $15)) 13... Qxd4!? { My teammates wanted exd4 because it opens up my rook. That was my initial intention, but I wanted to be able to kick out the Knight from e4 with f5 and that would make my f pawn kind of isolated. } (13... exd4 { this line is just to show the concept. } 14. Ne4 f5 15. Nd2 { I don't like opening up the diagonal, but it's worth it to stop the monster Knight. But the pawn on f5 is isolated if I don't push my "king protector pawns" and I really don't like pushing them if I don't have to. } { [%csl Gf5]
[%cal Gb3g8] }) 14. c3 Qd6? { I thought long here, and I decided Qd6 was fine because I wanted to do to g6 anyway. By process of elimination in PM, Qb6 was the best option. I did not see the eventual Bh5 response from my opponent in my calculation, which makes Qb6 the way better option. } 15. Ne4 Qg6? { Still not seeing Bh5 and I was enarmored with my own Bh3. I should have looked more at my opponents moves. } 16. Bh5! (16. Rb1 Bh3 17. Bf3 $16 { My Bishop h3 idea doesn't even work... }) 16... Qb6 17. Qf3 Be6 (17... g6 18. Qg3 Kh7 19. Be2 Bf8 $14) 18. b4?! { I think he should have played Bg4, trying to get one of my bishops, and making his Knight even more felt. My Queen and Bishop blocking my Queenside pawns hinder my play in those variations. } (18. Bg4 Bxg4 (18... Bd5 19. c4 Bc6 20. Rab1 a5 $10) 19. Qxg4 $10 { I lose my Bishop pair advantage. }) 18... Rad8 { I wanted to bring all my pieces into the game, and whites d-pawn is currently a weakness so it makes sense to target it. } 19. a4 g6 { I thought I had missed a fork, ...g6 Bg6 f5 to win a piece, and was annoyed that I had not seen this earlier. Due to my opponents response now I see that it doesn't quite work, but I think it still improves my position. } 20. Qg3 { Only way to stop the fork. } { [%cal Gf7f5,Gh5g4] } 20... Kh7 21. Be2 { white has to go here, otherwise white loses a material. } (21. Bf3 f5 22. Nd2 e4 $19)  (21. Bd1 f5 22. Nd2 e4 23. d4 Bxb4 24. cxb4 Rxd4 25. Nb3 (25. Nb1 Red8 26. Bc2 Qxb4 27. Na3 (27. Qxc7+ { start of the best line for white. } 27... R8d7 28. Qc3 Qxc3 29. Nxc3 Rc4 30. Nb5 Rxc2 31. Nxa7 $15 { I think this is the best line for white. Did not see this all during the game at all! }) 27... Bb3 28. Bxb3 Rd3 29. Qxc7+ R8d7 30. Qb8 Rxb3 31. Qxa7 Rxa3 32. Rxa3 Qxa3 33. Rb1 Qe7 $17) 25... Rd3 26. Qh4 Rxb3 $19) 21... f5 { Currently my e5 pawn is hanging and I was looking at variations where I move my LS bishop to c8, so that I can get a discovered attack on his Queen afterwards, but I felt like his e5 Knight kept the position equal in those variations. } (21... Bc8 22. Qxe5 Bxb4 23. Qg3 Bd6 24. Nxd6 Qxd6 25. Rfe1 (25. Qxd6 Rxd6 26. Rfe1 Rde6 27. Kf1 $10)) 22. Nd2 (22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. bxc5 Qxc5 $17) 22... Bf6 { Bd6 was too obvious, and this eyes the c3 pawn and the rook an a1 if the future. I feel like this position is better than the Bc8 variation earlier, because my pieces are better placed and I didn't give up an e pawn for a b pawn (center for side). } (22... Bd6 23. Nc4 Bxc4 24. dxc4 e4 25. Qe3 $15 { Now I want my Bishop on the h8-a1 diagonal anyway. }) 23. Nc4? { It was the move I expected, it's hard to look at anything else, but I think Qe3 is better. Probably also a good idea to bring in his f rook. } (23. Qe3 e4 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. d4 Ra8 26. Bc4 Bd7 $10)  (23. Rfe1) 23... Bxc4 { Gives me a strong position, and moving my Queen seemed to not accomplish anything. } (23... Qc6 24. Bf3 Qd7 25. Nb2 (25. Rfd1 e4 26. dxe4 Qxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Bxc4 29. h3 Rxe4 (29... Be5 30. Qf3 Rd8 31. Be2 Bxe2 32. Qxe2 Bxc3 33. exf5 Rd7 34. fxg6+ Kg7 $18 { Another variation better for white. }) 30. Qxc7+ Bg7 31. Qxb7 (31. Bc2 Re1+ 32. Kh2 Rc1 $19)  (31. Bf3 Re1+ 32. Kh2 $18 { Looks like there is one variation where white comes out on top. I didn't move my Queen because it didn't improve my position, but apparently, it also could have lost me my advantage. }) 31... Re1+ $19) 25... e4 26. dxe4 Bxc3 27. exf5 Bxf5 28. Ra2 $19 Qd2 29. Rd1 Qxb2 30. Rxb2 Rxd1+ 31. Bxd1 Re1#) 24. dxc4 Rd2 { Here I felt really dominant. } 25. c5 Qe6 26. Qe3 Bg5?! { I saw the refutation of f4 only after I made the move. I'm really glad he didn't see it. My other candidate moves where Red8 and Ra2. Rd8 is what I would have played if I couldn't make up my mind, but I slightly prefer Ra2. } (26... Ra2 27. Rxa2 Qxa2 28. Bd3 (28. Rd1 Qxa4 29. Qd3 Re7 $15) 28... Qxa4 $17)  (26... Red8 27. Rfd1 Rxd1+ (27... f4 28. Qf3 (28. Qe4) 28... Qd5 29. Rxd2 (29. Qxd5 R8xd5 30. Kf1 Rxd1+ 31. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 32. Bxd1 e4 33. Bc2 Bxc3 34. Bxe4 Bxb4 35. Bxb7 Bxc5 $15) 29... Qxf3 30. Bxf3 Rxd2 $15) 28. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 29. Bxd1 Qc4 (29... e4 30. a5 (30. Qd2 Qe7 $10) 30... Qc4 31. Be2 Qxc3 32. Qxc3 Bxc3 $17 { Only black can win this. } 33. c6 bxc6 34. Ba6 Bxb4 35. Bb7 c5 36. a6 c4 37. Kf1 (37. Bd5 c3 38. Bb3 Kg7 39. Kf1 Kf6 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kd1 Kd4 42. Bf7 g5 43. Bg6 f4 44. f3 e3 45. Bc2 Kc5 46. Ke2 Kb5 47. Kd3 Kxa6 48. Ke4 Kb5 49. Kf5 a5 50. Kg6 a4 51. Kxh6 a3 52. Bb1 c2 53. Bxc2 a2 54. Bb1 axb1=Q $19) 37... c3 38. Ke2 Kg7 39. Kd1 Kf6 40. Kc2 Ke5 41. Bc6 Kd6 42. Bb7 c6 $19) 30. Qd2 $10) 27. Qf3?? (27. f4 Bxf4 28. Rxf4 exf4 29. Qxd2 Qxe2 $10 30. Rd1 $16 Qe3+ 31. Qxe3 fxe3 32. Rd7+ Kg8 33. Kf1 e2+ 34. Ke1 Kf8 35. Rxc7 $16) 27... e4 28. Qg3 Rxe2 29. Qxc7+ Re7 30. Qb8 b6?! { My teammates where of the opinion that a6 was less committal, I'm not sure if it is better. It's hard to analyze because there are so many options afterwards! However, after looking at white's options after a6 I do believe that they are right. It's easier for white to keep pressure on the a7 pawn than on the b7 pawn, and a6 doesn't give white a passed pawn for the time being. } (30... a6 31. Rad1 Rd2 32. Rxd2 (32. Qa8 Red7 33. Rxd2 Bxd2) 32... Bxd2 33. Rd1 Bxc3 34. Rd8 Bxb4 35. Rh8+ (35. c6 Bd6 36. c7 Rxc7 $19) 35... Kg7 36. Rg8+ Qxg8 $19)  (30... e3 31. Qxa7 (31. fxe3 Qxe3+ 32. Kh1 Re1 33. Raxe1 Qxe1 34. Rg1 Be3 35. h3 $19)  (31. f3) 31... exf2+ 32. Rxf2 Re1+ 33. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 34. Rf1 Be3+ 35. Kh1 Qxf1#) 31. Rad1 Rd2 { I want to trade pieces, and getting at least one pair of rooks off the board I think increases my winning chances by a lot. } 32. Rxd2 Bxd2 33. Rd1 Rd7 { I heavily debated Bxc3 or this move, but this one looked safer to me. It increases the chances for a rook trade increasing my advantage, and I still have the option to win a pawn with my bishop later on. But in analysis, I think Bxc3 is better, because it covers the h8 square anyway, making it extremely difficult for white to pose any real threats. } (33... Bxc3 34. cxb6 Qxb6 35. Qf4 Bxb4 $19) 34. Qc8 Qe7 35. c6 Rc7 36. Qa8 Bxc3 37. b5 f4 { I wanted to mount a counterattack and saw this as a way to leverage my extra bishop. I didn't want to let the game drag on too much because I feared miscalculation in my defense against white's passed pawn at some point. The idea behind f4 is basically just that I want to play e3 e2, and the rook can't stand on e1 because my bishop covers it. } 38. Rd8 Qg7!? { I was afraid of Re8 skewering my Queen and pawn, but looking at the variations I missed that I would win anyway. } (38... e3 39. Re8 (39. fxe3 fxe3 40. Re8 e2 41. Rxe7+ Rxe7 42. Kf2 e1=Q+ $19) 39... e2 40. Rxe7+ Rxe7 41. h4 e1=Q+ 42. Kh2 $19) 39. Qb8 (39. Kf1 e3 40. fxe3 fxe3 41. Ke2 Bd4 42. Rd7 Rxd7 43. cxd7 Qxd7 44. Qc6 Qg4+ 45. Kd3 e2 46. Qc7+ Bg7 47. Kd2 Qxg2 48. Qxa7 Qf1 49. Qe7 Qd1+ 50. Ke3 e1=Q+ 51. Kf4 Qxe7 $19) 39... e3 40. Rh8+ { I think he should have played fxe3 to keep drawing chances somewhat alive. } (40. fxe3 fxe3 41. Kf1 Qf7+ 42. Ke2 Qf2+ 43. Kd3 e2 (43... Be5 44. Rh8+ Bxh8 45. Qxc7+ Bg7 46. Qe7 e2 47. Qxe2 Qxe2+ 48. Kxe2 Be5 $19)  (43... Qd2+ 44. Ke4 Re7+ 45. Kf3 e2 46. Rxd2 (46. Rd7 e1=Q) 46... Bxd2 47. c7 e1=Q 48. c8=Q Qe2+ 49. Kg3 Qe3+ 50. Kg4 Re4+ 51. Qf4 Qxf4+ 52. Kh3 Qh4#) 44. Qxc7+ (44. Rd7+ Bg7 45. Qxc7 e1=N+) 44... Bg7) 40... Qxh8 41. Qxc7+ Qg7 42. Qxg7+ (42. Qxf4 e2 $19) 42... Kxg7 43. c7 e2 44. h3 e1=Q+ 45. Kh2 Qe8 { White resigns. 0-1 Work points: 1. I need to look deeper into central pawn breaks early on in my games, I'm a bit too passive there. 2. When ahead I played a bit too carefully, I'm thinking mainly of ...38. Qg7. I'm not sure how to rectify that. At the end of the game I had 14 minutes left, and we had reached the second time control, so in total 44 minutes left. That means that for some critical moves like ...26. Bg5 I should have taken a few more minutes. 3. ...14. Qd6 is a type of mistake I make often. Placing my Queen on a good square I often fail to do. I'm not sure how to get better at this because I did take about 10 minutes on my eventual move. I'm proud of: I feel like I was in control during this game. I know that I at times gave away most of my advantage, but I don't think that even if my opponent had capitalized that he would have been better. Usually, I lose focus near the end, but I think I managed my energy well this time around and made no real blunders at the end. } 0-1