(1) Catlin,Andy - Nichols,Tony [B01]
Match Lansing, MI (1), 26.03.2010
[Andy Catlin and Tony Nichols]



1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.d4 g6 5.Be2 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.h3
[7.c4 Qd6 8.Nc3 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Nc6 11.Nb5 Qd7 12.Bf4 Ne8 13.Re1 a6 14.d5 Na5 15.Nc3 Nxc4 16.Qe2 Ned6 17.Rac1 Rfe8 18.Bg4 Qd8 19.h4 h5 20.Bh3 Nb6 21.Qf3 Nd7 22.Re2 Nf6 23.a4 b5 24.a5 Nc4 25.b4 Nd7 26.Qg3 Ra7 27.Rce1 Nf6 28.Qf3 Ng4 29.Bxg4 hxg4 30.Qxg4 Bxc3 31.Re6 Qxd5 32.Rxg6+ fxg6 33.Qxg6+ Bg7 34.Qxe8+ Kh7 35.h5 Ra8 36.Qg6+ Kh8 37.Rxe7 Qd1+ 38.Kh2 Qd4 39.Bg5 Qd6+ 40.f4 Qxg6 41.hxg6 c5 42.bxc5 Nxa5 43.Re6 b4 44.f5 Bf8 45.Be3 Rd8 46.f6 Nc4 47.Bg5 Rc8 48.Re4 Bxc5 49.Rxc4 Bd6+ 50.Bf4 Rxc4 51.Bxd6 Rc8 52.Bxb4 Kg8 53.Kh3 Rb8 54.Bd6 Rd8 55.Be7 1-0 Stevic,H (2592)-Nisipeanu,L (2675)/Budva 2009/CBM 130]

7...c6 8.Be3 Bf5 9.c4 Qd8 10.Qb3 Qc7
[Tony suggested here as an alternative 10...Qb6!? 11.Qa3!? ]

11.Nc3 Ne4!
White has a space advantage, so it helps Black to get a pair of pieces off the board.

12.Rfd1 Nd7
[Tony thought about instead playing 12...a5 intending 13.-- Na6 ]

13.Nh4
White wants the bishop pair.

13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 Be4?!
[14...e6!? is playable 15.g4?! Be4 16.f3?? Qg3+ ]

15.f3
Black assesses he's better in the game position after his sixteenth move with White's pawn on f3 instead of f2.

15...Bf5?
[15...Bf6! 16.fxe4 (or 16.Bf2 Bxh4 17.Bxh4 Tony spent 10 minutes or so looking at 17...Qf4?! 18.Bf2! but was dissuaded when he saw (18.Bxe7? Qe3+ 19.Kf1 Bc2! 20.Qxc2 Qxe7 ) ) 16...Bxh4 ]

16.Nxf5??
[Missing 16.g4! Be6 17.d5 ]

16...gxf5 17.Rab1 Rab8?!
[Tony regretted this move after the game. 17...b6! ]

18.Qc2 e6
[18...f4!? ]

19.d5!? c5
[19...cxd5?! 20.cxd5 Nb6 and White has less advantage than in the game.]

20.Qd2 e5 21.Bh6 Qd6 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Bd3 f4 24.Bf5
To prevent ...f7-f5

24...Nf6 25.Qf2 Ne8 26.Qh4 Qh6
[26...h6! is most tenacious here.]

27.Qxh6+
White is winning.

27...Kxh6 28.d6 Nf6 29.Re1 Rfd8 30.Rbd1 Nd7 31.Bxd7 Rxd7 32.Rxe5 b6
As Tony pointed out, he could have saved an important tempo by playing this back on move 17! [32...Rbd8 33.Rxc5 Rxd6 34.Rxd6+ Rxd6 35.Rc7 ]

33.Re7 Rbd8 34.Rxd7 Rxd7 35.Kf2 f5
[35...Kg5 ]

36.g3 Kg5 37.Rd5 fxg3+ 38.Kxg3 h5 39.h4+ Kg6 40.Kf4 Kf7 41.Kxf5 Ke8 42.Ke6 Rh7 43.Rg5
Black resigns. 1-0