1.e4   e5   2.Nf3   Nc6   3.d4   exd4   4.Nxd4   Bc5   5.Be3   Qf6   6.c3   Nge7   7.Be2   O-O   8.O-O   d5   9.b4 This blunders not only one pawn, but soon a second one. 9... Bxd4   10.Bxd4   Nxd4   11.cxd4   dxe4   12.Nc3   Bf5   13.Bc4   Rfd8   14.Ne2   Nc6   15.Qb3   Nxd4   16.Nxd4   Rxd4   17.a3   Be6   18.Bxe6   Qxe6   19.Qg3   Qd6   20.Qe3   f5   21.Qb3+   Qd5   22.Qa4   a6   23.Rad1   Rd8   24.Rxd4   Qxd4   25.Qa5   Qd5 Chess blindness. I missed the simple defensive queen fork Qd7. Am I still winning? 26.Qxc7   Rf8   27.Qf4   g6   28.Rc1   Rd8   29.h4   Qd2   30.Qc7   Rd7   31.Qc4+   Qd5   32.Qf1   Kf7   33.Rc8   Qd3   34.Qa1   Qd1+   35.Qxd1   Rxd1+   36.Kh2   Rd7   37.Kg3   h6   38.Rc3   g5 Rd3+ would have won on the spot. But I have a bad history of pawn endgames. I hope this will change after this game ... 39.hxg5   hxg5   40.f4 After this new blunder I do not hesitate any longer! 40... Rd3+   41.Rxd3   exd3   42.Kf2   gxf4   43.Ke1   Kg6   44.Kd2   Kg5   45.Kxd3   Kg4   46.Ke2   Kg3   47.Kf1   f3   48.gxf3   Kxf3   49.a4   b6   50.b5   axb5   51.axb5   Ke3   52.Ke1   f4   53.Kf1   Kf3 0-1

  1.e4   e6   2.d4   d5   3.Nc3   Bb4   4.e5   c5   5.a3   Bxc3+   6.bxc3   Ne7   7.Nf3   Qa5   8.Bd2   Nbc6   9.c4 He said after the game that theory does not recommend this move. But I got the better game. This tells me enough about the value of theory on our level. 9... Qa4   10.c3   Qxd1+   11.Rxd1   b6   12.Be2   f6   13.Bf4 Weak move. In order to bring the bishop pair to full action, lines and diagonals have to be opened: cxc5 and exf5 were good moves here. 13... Ng6   14.Bg3   fxe5   15.dxe5 Weak again, because the e-file against the king remains closed: cxd5 or dxc5 would have been much stronger. 15... Nce7   16.h3 Again a passive move and my advantage has disappeared. 16... Rf8   17.Nh4   Nf4   18.Bxf4   Rxf4   19.g3   Rf7   20.f4   Bb7   21.O-O   Ba6 I had seen that I lose the pawn c4 but I prepare a counter attack on e6. This move prepares doubling of rooks but was not best here. 22.Rf2   Bxc4   23.Bxc4   dxc4   24.Rd6   Rd8   25.Rfd2 It was better to take immediately on e6. Now the advantage turns to Black. 25... Rxd6   26.Rxd6   Nd5   27.Rxe6+   Re7   28.Rd6   Nxc3   29.Nf5   Rf7   30.Re6+   Kd8   31.Nd6   Re7   32.Rxe7   Kxe7   33.Nxc4   Ke6   34.Kf2 I have to fight hard for a draw because Black has pawns on two sides. 34... b5   35.Ne3   b4   36.axb4   cxb4   37.Nc4   g6 Black misses Kd5 and lets slip much of his advantage. 38.Ke3   h6   39.Kd3   Nd5   40.Ke4 Big relief here. Shredder agrees and sees a draw. 40... b3   41.Kd3   g5   42.fxg5   hxg5   43.h4   gxh4   44.gxh4 Now it is dead drawn but we continued to play it down to the naked kings. 44... Nf4+   45.Kc3   Ng6   46.Kxb3   Nxh4   47.Kb4   Nf3   48.Ka5   Nxe5   49.Nxe5   Kxe5 1/2-1/2

  1.e4   e6   2.d4   d5   3.Nc3   Nf6   4.e5   Nfd7   5.Nf3   c5   6.Ne2   Nc6   7.c3   Be7   8.a3   O-O   9.Nf4   Qb6   10.Bd3   cxd4   11.cxd4   g6   12.Bc2   Qd8   13.O-O   b5   14.b4 A strategic blunder, see my comment on mousetrapper.blogspot.com. 14... a5 The easy target is attacked immediately. Now Black is dictating the game. 15.bxa5   Nxa5   16.Bd2   Nc6   17.a4   Ba6   18.Bd3   bxa4   19.Bxa6   Rxa6   20.Rxa4   Qa8   21.Rxa6   Qxa6   22.Bc3   Ra8   23.h4   Nb6   24.g4   Qa3   25.Bd2   Nc4   26.Bc1   Qc3   27.Kg2   Ra1   28.Ne2   Qb4   29.Qc2   Qa5   30.Qb3   Kg7   31.g5   Bb4   32.Rh1   Ra2   33.Qd3   Qa6   34.Nf4   Ne7   35.h5   Nf5   36.Qb3   Qa4   37.Qxa4   Rxa4   38.hxg6   hxg6   39.Nd3   Bc3   40.Nc5 White is worse and must look for tactical complications. 40... Ra2   41.Nd7   Bxd4   42.Nxd4   Nxd4   43.Nf6   Nxe5   44.Be3   Nec6   45.Rd1   Nf5   46.Bc5   Rc2   47.Rh1 Only second best. Ne8+ would have forced the draw. 47... Rxc5   48.Rh7+   Kf8   49.Nd7+ Black could have given the Exchange for two pawns with good winning chances. But both sides were tired and agreed draw by repetition. 49... Kg8   50.Nf6+   Kf8   51.Nd7+   Kg8   52.Nf6+   Kf8 1/2-1/2

  1.e4   c5   2.d4   cxd4   3.c3   dxc3   4.Nxc3   Nc6   5.Nf3   d6   6.Bc4   e6   7.O-O   a6   8.a3 Too passive. Qe2 is the normal move here. 8... Be7   9.b4 Wrong side to attack. The general Morra Gambit plan is pressure in the center and fast development of the pieces. After these two weak pawn moves the advantage turns to Black. 9... b5   10.Ba2   Bb7   11.Bb2   Nf6   12.Qe2   O-O   13.Rfd1   Qb6   14.Bc1   Qc7   15.Bf4   Rad8   16.Rac1   Qb8   17.h3   Nd7   18.Ng5   e5   19.Bd2   Nd4   20.Qd3 Of course not Qh5 Nf6! 20... Nf6   21.Nf3   Qa8   22.Nxd4   exd4   23.Qxd4 And White is okay again. 23... d5   24.e5   Ne8   25.Qg4   Nc7   26.Bh6   Ne6   27.Ne4   Kh8 Of course Black does not fall into the trap dxe Bxf6. Now I was lucky to save my two hanging pieces. Must admit that I had not looked at Kh8 before. Shame on me! 28.Bg5   Nxg5   29.Nxg5   Bxg5   30.Qxg5   Rc8   31.h4 Bad plan. This pawn becomes a weakness and cannot bother the king. A better plan was attacking the isolani d5. 31... Rxc1   32.Rxc1   d4   33.f3   Bd5   34.Bb1   Bc4   35.h5   Qd5   36.Be4   Qe6   37.f4   f6   38.Qg3 This passive retreat was unnecessary and loses a pawn. exf with equal game was required. 38... fxe5   39.fxe5   Qh6   40.Re1   Qxh5   41.Bd3   Qe8   42.Re4   Qd7   43.Rh4   Bxd3   44.Qxd3   h6   45.Qxd4 The pawn is back. Equal position again. 45... Qe6   46.Qd6   Re8   47.Qxe6   Rxe6   48.Re4 Oh no, no, no! Rooks belong on open files, not behind pawns. This is the beginning of blundering away a drawn game. 48... Kh7   49.g4   Kg6   50.Kg2   Kf7   51.Kf3   Rc6   52.Re3   Ke6   53.Kg3   Rc4   54.Kh4   g6   55.Kg3   Rd4   56.Rc3 Desperation. The rest is agony. 56... Kxe5   57.Rc6   Rd6   58.Rc3   Ke4   59.Rc8   Rd3+   60.Kf2   Rxa3   61.Rc6   g5   62.Rxh6   Kf4   63.Rg6   Ra2+   64.Ke1   Kxg4   65.Kf1   Kf3   66.Rf6+ 0-1