Go your own way

Pushing my 'just playing for fun now' credentials to the limit, a couple of weeks ago I drove to Milton Keynes for the opening rounds of this season's 4NCL. With proper time limits and strong opposition, especially this year, these games have to be taken seriously, but I don't see enjoyment and hard work as mutually exclusive - artistic integrity is my game.

As an infrequent driver my nerves were focussed on the journey rather than the chess, so once I got there I was relaxed at the prospect of two tough games. KJCA are still in division two, but with an impending change to the league structure that's also division one this year: it's one big Swiss tournament, so there's no real cap on the strength of opposition we could face. For the first round (seeded last, but only because we really are a junior team and using FIDE ratings at that) we faced Sussex Martlets, and I had white on board 2 against Matthew Payne (2215). Knowing him fairly well, I had a good idea of what to expect: in a messy position I could expect to be outplayed, but if I kept the board under control then I would have my chances.

My opening choice seems to have been quite shrewd, since I hoped he might try a little too hard to complicate the fight and that was exactly what happened. The course of the game showed once again however that my greatest strength is also my greatest weakness: even when it runs counter to clear self-interest, I am always true to myself.

[Event "4NCL Div. 1/2"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.11.27"] [Round "1.2"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Payne, Matthew J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E63"] [WhiteElo "2005"] [BlackElo "2215"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "KJCA Kings"] [BlackTeam "Sussex Martlets"] {This season the top two 4NCL divisions are a joint Swiss. I wasn't feeling optimistic for the team on board 2, but if we're now overrun with massively under-rated juniors it helps to be on the same team as them! I know my opponent well - a strong and resourceful player, particularly in messy positions with attacks on the king, but he can underestimate his opponent's chances sometimes. Time control: 1 hour 40 minutes for 40 moves + 50 minutes to completion + 30 seconds/move.} 1. c4 {(1:39) Flexibility is a double-edged sword. I had a first move for most of their squad by Friday night, but vascillated for Matthew even into the 90 minutes' preparation time - at least when you always play one move you're forced to face your fears. Ultimately I was loathe to allow a Winawer (per his last two O4NCL games) not even knowing how he would meet 4. e5.} Nf6 {(1:40)} 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 {Since I wanted to get a quiet game and invite him to overpress, I preferred this to a Saemisch.} Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 d6 6. d4 {I think White gets nothing against a KID formation without accepting the space and transposing into the real thing (though hypermodern treatments can be a good surprise weapon, cf. Young-Foster, Kidlington Open 2017.) We head for the Panno Variation, one of the mainlines.} Nc6 7. O-O a6 8. d5 {Not forced, but critical and strategically the richest move. White's weak spot is c4, since his bishop has gone to g2 and he would rather not open the King's Indian bishop's diagonal with b2-b3. So driving the knight to the edge of the board is not without risk, but if White is able to neutralise it then it will be missed...} Na5 (8... Nb8 $143 $6 {may seem more natural, but spending two tempi to provoke d4-d5 is not a good deal and this is almost never played. White gets an easy advantage with} 9. h3 {(not allowing the simplifying ...Bg4)} c5 (9... e5 10. e4 $14 {is too slow: the normal plan would be ... Nd7-c5, but stopping b2-b4 requires ...a5, losing yet another tempo.}) 10. e4 {(or 10. a4)} b5 11. e5 {- punishing Black's loss of time -} Ne8 12. e6 $1 $146 fxe6 13. dxe6 $14 {and the pawn gets lodged on e6 - not} Bxe6 $2 14. Ng5 Bxc4 15. Bxa8 Bxf1 16. Bd5+ Kh8 17. Kxf1 {and 18. Nf7+.}) 9. b3 {This was what convinced me to go into the Fianchetto instead of the Saemisch. This has been known for a long time but understandably has never been as popular as 9. Nd2. White is trying to economise on that retrograde knight move and steer towards Symmetrical English territory, which I felt would be less comfortable for my opponent.} (9. Nd2 {But let's check out the mainline. White threatens 10. b4 so} c5 10. Qc2 {, beginning a plan to unknot the queenside.} (10. dxc6 $143 $6 Nxc6 {leaves Nd2 a wasted move -} 11. b3 Bd7 12. Bb2 Rc8 $11 {and White has no active ideas.}) 10... Rb8 {Universally played nowadays, but the stem game illustrates White's ideal strategy. Annotations by the winner.} (10... Bf5 11. e4 Bd7 12. b3 b5 13. Bb2 bxc4 14. bxc4 Rb8 15. Rab1 Rb4 16. a3 Rb8 {"By not playing} (16... Rxc4 $5 17. Nxc4 Nxc4 18. Bc1 Qa5 $44 {Black misses his chance of getting counterplay"}) 17. Nd1 { "A manoeuvre which was to become standard in such positions. The knight takes up an active position on e3 at the same time freeing c3 for the bishop."} Qc7 18. Ne3 Rb7 19. Bc3 Rfb8 20. h3 Rxb1 21. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 22. Nxb1 Qb6 23. Nd2 Ne8 { "In the given situation Black's only chance was to play ...e5 at the appropriate moment so as to slow down the development of White's breakthrough." } 24. Bxg7 Nxg7 25. Kh2 Ne8 26. f4 Nf6 27. e5 Ne8 28. Qc3 {"Now control over a4 need no longer be maintained as the black bishop has to control g4. Black's next move allows White to cut his position into two parts as a result of which Black's pieces cannot be transferred from the queenside."} f6 29. e6 Ba4 30. Be4 {"After the transfer of the bishop onto the b1-h7 diagonal, the position of the black king is quickly reduced to ruins. "} Ng7 31. Bd3 Nh5 32. Be2 Ng7 33. h4 Ne8 34. Bd3 Ng7 35. f5 Nb3 {"This loses a piece, but it makes no real difference."} 36. Qb2 Qa5 37. Nxb3 Qe1 38. Ng2 Qd1 39. Nc1 gxf5 40. Be2 Qd4 41. Qxd4 {1-0; Botvinnik-Geller, USSR Ch. 1952. It doesn't look it, but Black was a world-class GM and an expert on the KID! The main lesson for posterity was that Black needs to create play in the centre with ...e5, or the effective extra piece is bound to tell on the kingside.}) 11. b3 b5 12. Bb2 {The branching point.} bxc4 {Normal, seeking immediate pressure on c4, but I like White's chances here.} (12... e5 {I think direct play for the centre is Black's best policy. White can either open the position and argue Black's centre is loose, or try to keep his extra space.} 13. Rae1 (13. dxe6 fxe6 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Nce4 Bb7 $11 {is easy development, and Black neutralises the backward d-pawn after the book} 16. Rad1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 d5 $11 {The a5 knight returns to play and Black even has the centre, so I don't see the appeal for White.}) 13... Nh5 14. e4 (14. Nd1 {is the main move, though I feel that} f5 15. f4 exf4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. gxf4 {could leave White to regret not playing e2-e4 whilst he could - now his e-pawn is backward, f4 will come under pressure if it's ever pushed, and are White's knights any better than Black's?}) (14. e3 f5 15. f4 bxc4 16. bxc4 exf4 17. exf4 g5 $15 { even gives Black the initiative.}) 14... f5 15. exf5 gxf5 $11 {White has consolidated the queenside, but there is no question of steamrollering Black's centre as in Botvinnik-Geller.}) (12... Bh6 {threatens to remove the defender of c4, and by omitting ...bxc4 excludes the Nb3 plan in the mainline. Although White has almost always sheepishly transposed into the f4 variation, the move order trick is on Black since there is a venomous new option:} 13. Nce4 $5 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 {This would fail to ...Bxd2 if ...bxc4 were included, but the long diagonal precludes that now, and if} bxc4 15. e3 $1 $14 {keeps the a5 knight out of play whilst taking over the long diagonal, since} cxb3 $6 16. axb3 { merely gifts White the a-file, via which he will quickly regain the pawn.}) 13. bxc4 Bh6 {Now the neatest move is 14. e3?!, but this pawn belongs on e4 to deny Black ...Bf5. So how to defend c4? Theory gives 14. f4, but I don't think White should get dragged into the swamp - that's what Black wants! Instead he scores much better with the calm regrouping} 14. Ncb1 (14. f4 e5 {compels} 15. dxe6 Bxe6 {, when c4 is attacked again and Black becomes very active - his big idea is} 16. Nd5 Rxb2 $1 {, destroying White's dark squares.} 17. Qxb2 Bg7 18. Qc1 Bxd5 19. cxd5 Ng4 20. Rb1 Ne3 21. Re1 Re8 22. Bf3 Bd4 23. Kh1 h5 $44 { It's hard to believe that Black's minor pieces are worse than the stupid rook on e1, and ...h4 is coming. White is by no means losing, but such a position is the opposite of what I was after.}) 14... Bd7 {(where else?)} 15. Bc3 Qc7 16. Nb3 $1 {, at a stroke neutralising one open file and seizing another.} Nxb3 (16... Nxc4 $2 {loses material to} 17. Bxf6 Ne3 18. fxe3 Bxe3+ 19. Kh1 exf6 20. N1d2 $16) (16... Nb7 $14 {is possible but leaves the fianchettoed knight even more out of play than before.}) 17. axb3 $14 {The plan of Ra3, Nd2 and Rfa1 runs on oiled wheels.}) 9... c5 {The grown-up move: Black defends his loose knight so that ...Nxd5 really is on, and takes control of b4.} (9... Nxd5 $143 $2 {White's point is that} 10. Nxd5 Bxa1 11. Bd2 {wins a second piece for the rook. Even after the trickiest desperado,} Nxc4 12. Bg5 Bf6 13. Bxf6 exf6 14. bxc4 $16 {, Black is lacking open lines.}) (9... Rb8 {is sometimes tried, but the sly} 10. Bg5 {is promising:} Bd7 (10... b5 {(or equally 9... b5) is well met by} 11. cxb5 axb5 12. b4 Nc4 13. Qb3 $14 {, with a2-a4 ideas on top of the obvious threat of Nxb5. Black really wishes he'd played ...c5 now!}) 11. Rc1 c5 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Qd2 $14 {White keeps control since the ...b5 plan can't reach its conclusion:} b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. Rfd1 b4 $6 16. Bxf6 $1 {(finally the point of Bg5 is revealed!)} Bxf6 17. Nd5 Bg7 18. Rc4 {and the audacious pawn simply drops off the board.}) 10. dxc6 {(1:32) Tame though it looks, this has scored fully 65 percent from over 350 games. True, the a5 knight can return to play, but the substitution of b3 for Nd2 makes a significant difference to the equivalent position above. More to the point, we now get a quiet manouevring game, which was not what Black signed up for with a King's Indian.} (10. Bb2 Rb8 11. a4 $5 {is an under-tested alternative, trying to deny Black ...b5 or at least exact concessions for it.} Bd7 (11... e6 { Although a central break is a logical reaction to White's flank play,} 12. Nd2 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 (13... Nc6 $2 {sadly loses a pawn to} 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ne4 $16) 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. cxd5 Re8 16. e3 $14 {avoids counterplay on the e-file, and Black is still burdened with his offside knight. }) 12. Nd2 {White prevents12... Ne4, which would ease Black's lack of space, and if} b5 13. axb5 axb5 14. cxb5 Bxb5 15. Ra3 $14 {followed by Qa1 gives White use of the a-file in return for the possible weakness of b3.}) 10... bxc6 $5 {(1:25) I was sure that recentralising the knight was too natural to ignore, but as is his wont Matthew prefers an imbalancing move, strengthening his pawn centre and gaining access to the b-file. Now I regretted taking so long to settle on a line beforehand, since I hadn't checked this little-played move. Was it objectively bad or just unpopular? Should I be trying to punish him? What's happening on the long diagonal now?} (10... Nxc6 11. Bb2 {is normal of course. Compared to a true Symmetrical English (1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8. O-O) White has contested the a1-h8 diagonal early, and this appears more significant than Black getting in . ..d6 without concessions since Nd5 can be got in quickly.} Bd7 12. Qc1 { (12. Qd2 Qa5 crosses White's plan)} Rc8 13. Rd1 b5 {Now White has} 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. cxd5 Ne5 17. Qb2 {a la Reti, when the pin forces} f6 18. Nd4 $14 {and I think offers White hope of a pull. Black's central light squares have been weakened, only White's knight has a stable outpost, and the black queenside pawns have mrely exposed themselves. It's not much, but results suggest Black is uncomfortable; my opponent would not have enjoyed this position at all.}) (10... Ne4 $143 $6 {I was unsure about this (shoddy preparation again!) but White has} 11. c7 $1 Qxc7 12. Nd5 Qd8 13. Be3 {, playing for the dark squares. Accordingly he is not afraid to sacrifice the exchange; after} Nc3 {everyone plays Nxc3 followed by Rc1, but I have another new idea here:} 14. Qd2 $1 $146 Nxd5 15. cxd5 {With the cramping pawn on d5 and his knight still stranded, Black will be positionally lost if he allows Rac1, so he must accept the dare and play} Bxa1 16. Rxa1 $16 {, however with the dark squares added to White's trumps his compensation feels overwhelming.}) 11. Bb2 {A good move, but hardly worth 35 minutes' thought. White tidies up with a developing move, since forcing play gets nowhere; 11. Nd4 is most easily met by 11... Bb7 and then ...c5 followed by ...Nc6, whilst 11. c5?11... Nd5 loses a pawn.} Rb8 (11... Ne4 $143 $2 {The same principle applies to Black - this raid is best punished by} 12. Nd4 {, when Black dare not capture on c3 and imperil his other knight, but otherwise c6 falls - there is nothing better than} d5 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 $16 {, losing a pawn for nothing.}) 12. Qd2 $14 {Answering the transparent threat of ...Nxc4 and connecting the rooks. This is by far the most common move and has the engine's approval, but with an eye on the future I wonder if 12. Qc1!? is again more precise - ...Ne4 wouldn't come with tempo, and the game continuation looks a lot more appealing if a rook comes to d1. Now I was sure that Black would take his share of the centre with 12... c5, preparing a retreat for the a5 knight, but Matthew felt that would be too static and therefore maintained the tension.} Qc7 (12... c5 {is the main move and would still be my choice, but admittedly after} 13. Rad1 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Nc6 15. Nh4 {, preparing Nd5 without allowing ...Ne4 in reply, he has a lifeless position since there is no queenside pawn break. White again enjoys the risk-free edge he sought from the opening and can consider an attack with f4-f5.} Nd7 16. f4 $14) 13. c5 $5 $146 {A philosopher's move - very ambitious in spite of my pre-game strategy. As I said earlier, I felt that Matthew can lack objectivity, and not playing ...c5 had to be punished! Black is welcome to take it since his damaged structure and the half-open c-file will outlast the extra pawn, and if he pushes past then the knight on the rim remains out of play, the c-pawn is fixed and b6 is mine. On the downside, allowing Black to expand in the centre gives him counterplay in a position where I was otherwise playing for two results. The philosopher's downfall is that he never knows when to shelve his principles...} (13. Rac1 {was played in both games to date. If Black will not play ...c5 then the knight must head to that square. Play could continue} Nd7 {(13... Nb7 14. Na4)} 14. Na4 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Nb7 16. Nd4 {(hiting c6)} Nd8 17. Qd2 c5 {, since if Black is stubborn then b3-b4 comes into consideration.} (17... e5 18. Nc2 f5 {looks active, but} 19. Rcd1 Nf7 20. e4 $14 {halts the black advance in its tracks and leaves the d-pawn feeling rather sorry for itself}) 18. Nc2 Bb7 19. e4 Nc6 20. Nc3 Qa5 21. f4 $14 {Black has resolved his wayward knight, but as with 12... c5 above he has little counterplay in a position where his pieces are on the wrong side of the board.}) 13... d5 {I spent another half-hour here, leaving me just 19 minutes plus increment to reach move 40. I'd originally intended 14. Na4, but now concluded (correctly) that 14... Ne4 and 15... e5 gave me no advantage. It seemed that his centre would move quickly if I did nothing, so I dug deep for a way to keep the initiative - I came up with a deep idea, but, alas, I overlooked a tactical detail.} (13... dxc5 $143 $6 {Black was right to avoid the capture, which only opens lines to his own queenside weaknesses. After} 14. Na4 Ne4 15. Qe3 Bxb2 16. Nxb2 f5 17. Rac1 e5 18. Nd2 Nxd2 19. Qxd2 Nb7 20. Na4 $14 {Black cannot after all defend c5, leaving him with an airy kingside and a clear weakness on c6.}) 14. e4 $2 {If it didn't fail tactically this would be a spectacular idea, inducing ...Ne4 whilst my c3 knight still controls the centre and breaking up Black's pawn front before it becomes dangerous. If...} ( 14. Ne5 {The key to the position is that Black isn't actually threatening ... e5 here because of his loose knight. I didn't appreciate that, so imagine my surprise when Stockfish suggested this! However, Black gets annoying counterplay with} d4 $1 (14... Qxe5 $143 $2 15. Nxd5 {is the problem for Black; I was vaguely aware of this idea but I couldn't see how to forcibly lure the queen to e5. Somehow I still never joined the dots!} Qe6 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Bxf6 Nxb3 18. axb3 Qxf6 19. b4 $16 {Even without winning a pawn in this case, the opening of the h1-a8 diagonal gives White a commanding advantage since Black's split queenside pawns are exposed.}) 15. Na4 (15. Qxd4 Ng4 16. f4 Rd8 $11 {regains the pawn whilst occupying the d-file}) 15... Nxb3 16. axb3 Qxe5 17. Bxd4 Qh5 $11 {With two extra pieces over 14... Qxe5, Black can stir things up on the kingside in the sample line} 18. Nb6 Rd8 19. Qf4 Ng4 20. h3 e5 21. Qc1 exd4 22. Nxc8 Ne5 23. Ne7+ Kf8 24. Nxc6 Nxc6 25. Bxc6 Qxe2 {, when the passed pawns roughly counterbalance each other.}) (14. Rac1 $142 {Still, now we know ...e5 doesn't work, why not improve a piece? It would be unsporting not to at least give Black the chance to miss the tactic too...} Bg4 15. Rfe1 { Keep a watching brief over e5.} Rfd8 (15... Bxf3 $6 {is unexpectedly answered by} 16. exf3 $1 e5 {and Black can easily overextend himself following} 17. Na4 Nd7 18. Bh3 f5 19. Nb6 $16 {, since a5 and e5 are hanging and White now has the bishop pair in an open position.}) 16. Na4 {With c5 defended by a rook, White need not fear} Ne4 {any longer since he can meet it with} 17. Qf4 $1 { . It's interesting that after opening with c4, Nc3 and Bg2 White plays to control e5 instead.} Qxf4 18. gxf4 Bxb2 19. Nxb2 $14 {Black is in real danger, since d4 is a perfect square for a white knight, the light-squared bishop has nothing to do and the a5 knight still cannot get into the game.}) 14... Nxe4 ( 14... dxe4 $143 $2 {promises nothing after} 15. Ng5 Bf5 16. Qe2 Nb7 17. Ncxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxb2 19. Qxb2 Bxe4 20. Nxe4 $11 {and c5 is defended. On the other hand, with White forced to trade off his light-squared bishop to hold it, the weaknesses on a6 and c6 are no longer so serious.}) 15. Nxe4 {(18)} Nc4 $1 {(51) Oops. When considering 13. c5!? I mused to myself that a further advantage was not losing a pawn to the inevitable missed ...Nc4 shot down the line, and I was only half-joking. Without this resource Black's position is difficult, but with it he is positionally winning.} (15... dxe4 $143 $2 { allows White to open the centre after} 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 (16... exf3 $4 17. Qh6 { is terminal owing to} fxg2 18. Bh8 $1 gxf1=Q+ 19. Rxf1 $18 {and Black must give up both his queen and b8 rook to avoid being mated.}) 17. Qd4+ f6 18. Qxe4 $14 {This is quite a pure form of White's strategy with 13. c5 and 14. e4: the c6 pawn is fixed, the long diagonal is open for White's remaining bishop, and the a5 knight continues to have no influence. After ...f6 it seems inevitable that ...e5 will happen sooner or later, but as we will see in the game even this doesn't come for free.}) (15... Bxb2 {is an improvement, but even so my intended} 16. Qxb2 dxe4 17. Ng5 f5 18. f3 {is risky for Black with the enemy queen on such a good square.} h6 19. Nh3 exf3 20. Rxf3 e5 21. Re1 $44 {Black's position is extremely delicate with an open king and his pieces stranded on the queenside - one variation is} e4 $2 22. Rxe4 $3 fxe4 $2 23. Rxf8+ Kxf8 24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Qg7+ Kd8 26. Qf8+ Kd7 27. Nf4 {, calmly bringing in the reserves a rook down since it turns out Black's king cannot reach safety on the kingside.} Qe5 28. Bh3+ Kc7 29. Ne6+ $18 {The monarch is stranded in view of} Kb7 (29... Bxe6 30. Qe7+ Kc8 31. Bxe6+ $18) (29... Kd7 30. Qf7#) 30. Qe7+ Ka8 31. Nc7+ {, so White picks up the enemy queen.}) 16. bxc4 (16. Qc2 $144 { White is unable to trap the knight after} Nxb2 {(16... Bxb2 also works well, but this is cleaner)} 17. Nc3 Qa5 18. Rfc1 d4 19. Nb1 d3 20. Qd2 Rb5 $17 { and remains a pawn down with no dark squares.}) 16... Rxb2 17. Qe3 dxe4 18. Qxe4 $17 {Now that the fireworks are over, Black simply has to be winning: he has two bishops, total control of the dark squares, the b-file, easy access to my doubled isolated c-pawns, a mobile kingside majority and a lot more time on the clock. Strangely however, Matthew now starts to lose his way.} Bf5 $6 { Developing with tempo feels so natural, but for once it's the bishop hemming in the f-pawn! Its exposed position allows White to find some life for his minor pieces.} (18... f5 $142 19. Qe3 e5 {keeps his grip. Unlike in the game, Black can afford to weaken d6 here because the h1-a8 diagonal remains shut so White's bishop cannot contribute.} 20. Rfd1 (20. Qc3 {is the computer suggestion, but the self-pin feels completely unnatural and} e4 21. Nd4 Rb8 22. Rad1 Rd8 23. Rd2 a5 $17 {still denies White all counterplay.}) 20... e4 21. Nd4 Rd8 $17 {There's no other way for the knight to stay 'active', but White is at a dead end in view of} 22. f3 $4 Qd7 {, and gravity will catch up with him quickly if the active ideas run out.}) 19. Qe3 Rd8 20. Rad1 {(8) The a-pawn felt less important than activating my pieces, and in time trouble it's sensible to pre-empt any more tactics on the long diagonal. Nonetheless, I was expecting him to take the pawn and was taken aback when} Rxd1 $6 {(36) was played instead.} (20... Rxa2 $142 21. Nd4 {Matthew didn't want to grimly retreat the bishop to d7, but this was a misunderstanding since} Bxd4 $1 { nips any counterplay in the bud.} 22. Rxd4 Rxd4 23. Qxd4 a5 $17 {With most of the pieces gone, most importantly White's own dark-squared bishop, Black's king is in no great danger and he does after all have an extra outside passed pawn...}) 21. Rxd1 e5 $2 {And this is a really serious positional error. Black is as though hypnotised by the fear of Nd4, for which he is willing to lock in his prized King's Indian bishop and surrender control of the d6 square.} 22. h3 $1 {Admirably level-headed with just a few minutes left. At first I thought I could nevertheless play 22. Nd4 because of 22... exd4 23. Qe8+ Bf8 24. Rd8!? - sadly though rooks can't phase through pawns! Next I looked at Rd6, the obvious drawback of Black's last move, before noticing 22... Rb1+. Hence this move, creating luft for my king, taking g4 away from Black's light-squared bishop and... passing the move back to Black in a position where he is starting to panic.} Bf6 $6 23. Rd6 $1 {Black not only doesn't stop but even provokes an exchange sacrifice that any Russian schoolboy would make without hesitation.} Be7 24. Qxe5 Rb1+ $2 {Again, evading my queen with tempo is automatic, but wrong nonetheless.} (24... Qb7 $142 {avoids the worst. White could now retreat his rook, but a2 would quickly fall and Black would have all the winning chances thanks to his passed pawn, so it's better to be consistent and keep the pressure up.} 25. g4 Bxd6 26. cxd6 Rb1+ 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Ng5 Qb2 { This way, Black is able to involve his queen in the defence. Still, after} 29. Qe3 $14 {the passed d-pawn and the enduring weakness of c6 at least compensate for White's small material deficit.}) 25. Kh2 {(2)} f6 {(27)} 26. Qf4 $6 { I wanted to keep d4 clear for my knight, but that is a more natural square for the queen - if Black insists on accepting the sacrifice then getting behind the passed pawn is even more punishing, and if he doesn't then Black can no longer answer Nh4 with ...Bd7 to defend c6.} Bxd6 $2 {Matthew's sense of danger had apparently abandoned him by this stage. Not only does he give me a connected passed pawn, I also get a tempo to bring in my other pieces. 26... Rb4 was a better move, stopping Nd4; now White should be winning by force.} 27. cxd6 $18 Qf7 28. Nd4 $2 {It was only necessary to find one more accurate move and Black's position would have collapsed. But tragically, after all the hard work, now it's my turn to let a winning position slip through my fingers - up to here I had coped well with the demands of a complex position in severe time pressure, but I was down to the increment...} (28. Nd2 $142 $1 {The rook is attacked, c4 is defended and White is ready to take on c6, after which I can roll through the connected passers at my leisure.} Re1 (28... Rb6 29. Qd4 { doesn't save the pawn}) 29. Bxc6 Kg7 30. Qd4 Bd7 31. Bd5 Qf8 32. Ne4 Bf5 33. c5 $18 {Black is doomed.}) 28... Bd7 $2 {Both sides missed a shot here.} (28... Qxc4 $142 $1 {We both believed this failed to} 29. Nxf5 Qxf4 30. Ne7+ Kf7 31. gxf4 {, but Black started this sequence an exchange up! More to the point, the d-pawn is lost after} Ke6 32. Nxc6 Kxd6 $15 {, and the rook can prove stronger than two pieces in positions where the pieces lack stable squares, especially without the other pair of rooks.}) 29. Bxc6 $2 {Another tactical blind spot, and this time there is no reprieve.} (29. Nxc6 $142 {has the important upside of defending c4. Capturing with tempo (or so I thought) felt reassuring in time trouble, and I strangely believed that Black would take on c6 - completely anti-positional, but overly forcing analysis is normal in time trouble. Even after the less suicidal} Kg7 {though,} 30. c5 Qe6 31. Qd2 { defends my king, and} Qe1 {(if the queens stay on then Nd4 is a big threat)} 32. Qxe1 Rxe1 33. Nb8 {allows White to shepherd his pawns home:} Be6 34. d7 Rd1 35. c6 $18 Kf7 36. Bf3 $1 {is a study-like move from the computer, driving Black's rook off the first rank so as to remove any mate threats on h1, so that } Rd2 37. Bd5 $1 $18 {is a winning interference.} Rxd5 38. c7 Bxd7 39. Nxd7 Rxd7 40. c8=Q) 29... Qxc4 $1 30. Bxd7 $4 {(0) What was that about the defender's sense of danger going walkabouts? In the heat of the moment I didn't even have time to register I was 'winning' a piece, let alone think to question why I was being allowed to...} (30. Qxf6 $142 {As we immediately saw in the post-mortem, if White sees what's coming then it's not too late to save himself:} Bxc6 31. Nxc6 Qxc6 32. Qd8+ Kf7 33. Qe7+ $11 {forces a perpetual check.}) 30... Qf1 {(20) Now at last the penny dropped. Black may have mangled the defence horribly, but given a hint of a counter-attack on my king he seizes on it ruthlessly.} 31. Be6+ Kg7 32. Nf5+ gxf5 {It was frustrating to lose a game in which I had invested so much creative energy, and yet I wasn't too upset since I lost by being true to myself - my greatest strength and greatest weakness. It was a pleasure to be able to invest the proper time in a position again... it was just a shame I enjoyed it a little too much!} 0-1

One of my favourite posts from yesteryear was my rumination on philosophers and problem solvers, and not for the first time I ticked most of the boxes in the former category. Very big ideas, ambition bordering on megalomania, total inability to be practical, bad one-move oversights and a spectacular collapse in time trouble. And yet for all that I would have it no other way! I wasn't upset by this game, and I am someone who hates losing, especially from winning positions. I enjoyed finding my own ideas in positions that are still fresh to me, the won position was too fleeting for me to really feel it, and my pre-game strategy was vindicated even if I largely ignored it: Matthew handled the initiative very confidently, but looked adrift without it. I didn't need to launch into 13. c5 and 14. e4, and according to that plan I shouldn't have done, but I wanted to find the truth of the position!

Still, I do aspire to maximise my results within the limits of this self-imposed handicap, and the easiest place to start is my dreadful handling of the clock. 35 minutes on 11. Bb2 is down to indecision, both at the board (fear of tactics on the long diagonal) and beforehand. My preparation was uncharacteristically sloppy, simply because I took too long to find a line I liked and then couldn't check it deeply enough. In future I should not have any choices left to make by the time pairings go up. I then wasted 24 minutes on 14. e4?, totally overlooking that the move all but loses to a three-move tactic. 

Even so, I handled the inevitable time pressure quite well for a while and even outplayed Matthew from a horrible position, but eventually I just ran out of time. Our FM on top board told me a few years ago that for him falling behind a GM on the clock is tantamount to losing the game, and perhaps I need to apply the same rule to hitting the increment: at that point, blind panic set in. The misfire at the end of the game, as well as the slip on move 14, additionally serves as a reminder that even when you set out to play quietly, tactics are always lying in ambush and especially when the time comes to win the game. I briefly transcended to 2300 level at the 2018 British Championship because I was seeing all the little details, and I can't get away with my recent rustiness here.

All in all, a fascinating game both to play and to analyse, and one that has my fingerprints all over it for better or for worse. Although the team lost, the score was 3-5 so we were feeling upbeat for a more winnable match the next day.