[Event "South Hams A v Newton Abbot Abbots"] [Site ""] [Date "07.03.2019"] [Round ""] [White "Dave Archer"] [Black "Paul Brooks"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "167"] [BlackElo "165"] 1.d4 e6 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 b6 4.Nd2 Bb7 5.h3 c5 6.c3 Be7 7.Ngf3 d6 {I played a Queen's Indian set-up against the London System, the idea of which is to stop white's natural plan of playing Ne5 and f4 with a king's side attack to follow.} 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.O-O O-O 10.Re1 Qc7 11.Bg5 $6 {Maybe 11.Bh2 is better keeping an eye on the key h2-b8 diagonal.} 11...e5 {The other idea of this set-up is to play for e5.} 12.Bxf6 12...Bxf6 13.Ne4 Be7 14.d5 Nd8 15.Bc2 f5 16.Ng3 g6 $5 {16...e4 was more aggressive, but perhaps not better.} 17.e4 f4 18.Nf1 {With the centre closed, I had a natural plan of advancing my pawns on the king-side.} 18...g5 19.N3h2 {Dave defends using the white squares.} 19...Bf6 20.c4 Qf7 21.Qf3 Bc8 22.b4 $5 {Dave tries to get counterplay on the queen's side. } 22...Qg6 ( 22...cxb4 23.a3 bxa3 24. Qxa3 Nb7 25.Ba4 Nc5 26.Bc6 Bb7 27.Bxb7 Nxb7 {and it is unclear that my bad bishop gives white enough compensation for the pawn deficit.} ) 23.g4 fxg3 24.Qxg3 h5 25.Ne3 Nf7 26.Nf3 Nh6 27.Nh4 {Dave uses the pin on the g-pawn to push my queen back.} 27...Qh7 $2 ( 27...Qg7 28.Nhf5 Nxf5 29.Nxf5 Bxf5 30.exf5 cxb4 {is much better and gives me real winning chances} ) 28.bxc5 bxc5 29.Rab1 Bxh3 $2 30.Qxh3 gxh4 31.Qe6+ { I missed this - the only option I have now is to really go for it on the kingside. }Kh8 32.Qxd6 Rg8+ 33.Kh1 Qf7 34. Rg1 Ng4 35.Nxg4 Rxg4 36.Rxg4 hxg4 37.Qxc5 Bg5 38.d6 $2 Qf3+ 39.Kg1 Bf4 { Look how the white king is hemmed in. It looks like I must be winning but I was down to my last 30 seconds on the clock!} 40.Rb3 Qe2 41.Bd3 {Dave had played the last two moves quite quickly so I was still in severe time trouble. I focused on the variation 41....Qe1 42.Bf1 Bh2+ and couldn't see how to progress, missing the fact that 42...h3! wins easily. The threat is 43...h2+ 44.Kg2 h1(Q)+ 45.Kxh1 Qxf1#, and the only defence 43.Rg3 loses as shown below. So with only 10 seconds left I banged out..} 41...Bh2+ $2 ( 41...Qe1+ 42.Bf1 h3 43.Rg3 Bxg3 44.fxg3 Qxg3+ 45.Kh1 Rb8 46.Qg1 Qf3+ 47. Bg2 hxg2+ 48.Qxg2 Rb1+ 49.Kh2 Qf4+ 50.Qg3 Rb2+ 51.Kh1 Qxg3 { and mates next move} ) 42.Kxh2 g3+ 43.Kh3 Qh5 {I had to defend the e5 pawn and hope!!} 44.Rb5 $2 {Dave gives me a chance!} 44...g2 $1 {The threat of queening the pawn upsets Dave. He spent quite a lot of his remaining 6 minutes trying to work out a defence. Obviously 45.Qxe5 Qxe5 46.Rxe5 g1(Q) loses. However 45.Rb1 still wins, but it's complicated and Dave couldn't be sure he wouldn't be mated by my Queen and Rook.} 45.Kxg2 Qg4+ $1 {This ensures the draw. White's queen stays on the white squares and Dave can't prevent perpetual check.} 46.Kh2 Qf4+ 47.Kg2 Qg4+ 48.Kh2 Qf4+ 49.Kh3 Qf3+ 50.Kxh4 Qf4+ {Draw agreed. There is no escape from the checks and if the white king ever moves on to the g-file he gets mated. 50....Qh1+ is tempting but } ( 50...Qh1+ 51.Kg5 Rg8+ 52.Kf6 Qf3+ 53.Kxe5 Rg5+ 54.Ke6 Rxc5 55.Rxc5 Qxd3 56.e5 {leads to a position where black has won queen and bishop just for a rook but is still losing!) Game notes by Paul Brooks.} 1/2-1/2