1. g3 g6 2. Bg2 Bg7 3. c4 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. a3 Nf6 6. Rb1 a5 7. d3 O-O 8. e4 d6 9. Nge2 Ne8 10. O-O Nc7 11. Be3 Ne6 12. Nb5 Bd7 13. b3

There is no other way to slip in this useful move. Now Black in his turn must find a useful move. If 13... Rb8 interesting might be 14. d4 cxd4 15. Nexd4 Nexd4 16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 Bxd4 18. Qxd4 when the standard break 18... b5 is not good because of just 19. e5! when the Bg2 becomes good and White has pressure in the centre.

Probably best was 13... Ned4. The move played doesn't seem right, amounting to yet a further loss of time with the KN.

13... Nc7?! 14. Nxc7 Qxc7 15. Qd2 Rab8 16. Nc3 Nd4 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 b5! 19. Nd5 Qd8 20. bxc5 dxc5 21. cxb5 Bxb5 22. Rfc1! e6 23. Rxc5! Ba6

If instead Black had played 23... exd5 there would have followed 24. Rxd5 Qb6 25. e5! ( not 25. Rbxb5 Qxb5! ) ( or 25. Bxd4 Bxd4 26. Rbxb5 Qxb5) .

24. Rxb8 Qxb8 25. Nb4! Bb5 26. Qd1 Rd8

Black has play but not enough for a pawn.

27. Bf1 Qb7 28. Rc1 Ra8 29. Bg2! Ba4 30. Qe1 Re8 31. Rc4 Bb3 32. e5 Nf3+ 33. Bxf3 Qxf3 34. Re4! Ra8 35. Bc5 h5 36. h4 Rd8 37. d4 Rb8 38. Re3 Qd1 39. Qxd1 Bxd1 40. Kf1 Ba4 41. Ra3 Be8 42. Ke1 Rc8 43. Ra5 Bc6 44. Kd2 Bf3 45. Ke3 Bc6 46. f4 Bg2 47. Ra2 Bf1 48. Ra7 Bf8?! 49. Bxf8 Kxf8 50. d5! exd5 51. Nxd5 Bh3

I am happy playing this sort of position. With accurate play it is a win, which admittedly still takes some time. Against Gerry O'Connell in the first Telecom I reached a winning position after only 20 moves, but only clinched the win after 100 plus moves. However better than what I played now is 52. Kd4 with the idea 52... Rb8 53. Kc5 Rb3 54. Ra8+ Kg7 55. Kd6 Rxg3 56. Nf6 Rf3 57. Ke7 with mate to come.

52. Ra3? Be6 53. Nf6 Rd8 54. Ra7 Kg7 55. Ne4 Kf8 56. Ng5 Bc4

Now I should have played the intended 57. f5 gxf5 58. Kf4 Be6 (or 58... Rd3 59. Kxf5 Rxg3 60. Kf6 Ke8 61. Re7+ Kd8 62. Nxf7+ Bxf7 63. Rxf7) 59. Nxe6+ fxe6 60. Kg5 and 61. Kf6 winning.

[RR After 57. f5 gxf5 58. Kf4 Rd1 59. Kxf5 Kg7, White has no obvious way of making progress.]

57. Ra3? Ke7 58. Rc3 Ba2 59. Rc7+ Kf8 60. Ne4 Be6 61. Nd6 Ra8 62. Rc3 Ra4 63. Ne4 Ke7 64. Nc5 Ra5 65. Kd4 Ra7 66. Re3 Ra1 67. Nd3 Ra4+ 68. Kc3 Ra3+ 69. Kd2 Ra2+ 70. Ke1 Bc4 71. Nc5 Ra5 72. Ne4 Ke6 73. Nf6 Kf5 74. Rc3 Be6 75. Kf2 Ra1 76. Ke3 Ra4 77. Kf3 Ra1 78. Ke2 Ra4 79. Kd3 Ba2 80. Kc2 Be6 81. Re3 Ra8 82. Rc3 Ra7 83. Kd3 Ra4 84. Ke3 Ra1 85. Kd4 Ra5 86. Re3 Ba2 87. Rf3 Be6 88. Rc3 Ba2 89. Rc1!

The sealed move. During the break I found a winning plan.

89... Be6 90. Rc3 Ba2 91. Ng8! Ke6 92. Rc6+ Kd7 93. Rd6+ Ke8 94. Nf6+ Ke7 95. f5! Ra4+ 96. Ke3 gxf5

Hoping for 97. Nxh5 Re4+=.

97. Rd4! f4+ 98. gxf4 Rxd4 99. Kxd4 Ke6 100. Ke3? Kf5 101. Kf3??

Move 101 turns out to be the decisive blunder! The way to win was 101. Nxh5 Kg4 102. Ng7 Kxh4 103. f5 Kg5 104. Kd4 Kf4 (104... f6 105. e6) 105. f6 Bb3 (only move) 106. e6 fxe6 107. Kc3! (107. f7 e5+) 107... Ba2 108. f7. After the move played it is just a draw.

[RR Actually, after 101. Nxh5 Kg4 102. Ng7 Kxh4, the Lomonosov tablebases show that it's a draw. The flaw in the analysis is that after 103. f5 Kg5 104. Kd4 Kf4 105. f6 Bb3 106. e6, Black has 106... Bxe6!]

101... Bb3 102. Kg3 Bd1 103. Nd5 Bb3 104. Ne7+ Ke4 105. Ng8 Bd1 106. Nf6+ Kf5 107. Nd5 Bb3 108. Ne3+ Ke4 109. Nf1 Bd5 110. Nd2+ Ke3 111. Nb1 Kd4 112. Na3 Bc6 113. Nc2+ Ke4 114. Ne1 Bb7 115. Nf3 Bd5 116. Ng5+ Kf5 117. Nh7 Bb3 118. Nf6 Bd1 119. Ne8 Ba4 120. Nd6+ Ke6 121. Kf2 f6 122. Nc4 fxe5 123. Nxe5 Kf5 124. Kf3 Bd1+ 125. Kg3 Ke4 126. Nf7 Bg4 127. Ng5+ Kf5 128. Nf3 Ke4 129. Ne5 Bd1 130. Nf7 Bg4 131. Nd6+ Kd5 132. Nf7 Ke4

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Annotator(s): Colm Daly, Irish Chess Journal, vol. 6, no. 5, October 1994, p. 21.

Event information: Tournament report.