[Event "ICU IM Norm League 2018"]
[Site "Dun Laoghaire"]
[Date "2018.09.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Brady, Stephen"]
[Black "Daly, Colm"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2336"]
[BlackElo "2329"]
[ECO "B07"]
[Annotator "Daly, Colm"]
[ICUid "47881"]
[UsedInIcuSite "true"]
1. e4 { Being in the odd situation of needing to win with Black against
Stephen and Sam Colllins in the last two rounds to make an IM norm meant
that I had to try play for a win by trying to complicate the game from the
outset and in this case my usual Sicilian would surely have been faced with
2 C3 which I have played countless times against Stephen, the experience of
which is that it is very very hard to generate complex play or and get
White out of book. Getting a draw is pretty easy so long as I don"t get
tempted to play for a win or become complacent but playing for a win is
hard. Thus, the choice to play something more fluid and try unbalance
things seeemed a decent approach here. To the extent that it got white out
of his comfort zone and maybe created some awkard moments and time
advanatge it worked, but White was still able to naviagte and steer the
game into safe and calm waters that made it very difficult and frustrating
for me to have any serious winning chances or active play. } 1... d6 2. d4
Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 { So a Pirc it is today. Which has become fashionable of late
in part because of the excellent book by Marin. } 4. g3 { This is an
unusual variation and pretty harmless. I was unsure how to proceed and
decided to try take the game into more unusual paths. } 4... Bg7 5. Bg2 c6
{ Just to avoid the more standard positions and see how White might react.
} 6. Nge2 h5 $5 { Part of the plan to try makes things a bit odd and out of
book, though afterwards I leanred that it has actually been played before.
An idea is that with the White Knight on e2 instead of the more natural
square f3 Black is trying to take advantage of this and create a
distraction for White to contend with. In the end it did not lead to
anything too interesting and is just a bit unusual rather than being bad or
good. } 7. Bg5 (7. h3 Nbd7 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 Rb8 10. f4 Qb4 11. e5 Ng8 12.
exd6 Qxd6 13. d5 Kf8 14. Bxa7 Ra8 15. Be3 cxd5 16. Qxd5 Qxd5 17. Bxd5 Nh6
18. O-O-O Nf5 19. Bf2 Nf6 20. Bf3 Nd6 21. Bc5 Ra6 22. Kb1 Nfe8 23. a3 Kg8
24. Nd5 Kf8 25. Nec3 Be6 26. Bg2 Rc6 27. Bb4 Rc4 28. Rhe1 Rd4 29. Bc5 Rc4
30. Bb6 h4 31. g4 Nc8 32. Bf2 { 1-0 Mitbreit,D (2320) -Gumirov,K/Moscow
1995/EXT 1997 }) 7... Nbd7 $1 (7... Qb6 8. a4 Bg4 9. f3 Be6 10. b3 Nh7 11.
Be3 Qa5 12. O-O h4 13. Qd2 hxg3 14. hxg3 Nf6 15. Nf4 Bc8 16. Kf2 Nbd7 17.
Rh1 Nh5 18. Nfe2 Nf8 19. g4 Nf6 20. Rxh8 Bxh8 21. Rh1 Bg7 22. Bh6 Bxh6 23.
Rxh6 Be6 24. Rh1 O-O-O 25. Rb1 N8h7 26. b4 Qg5 27. Qxg5 Nxg5 28. Rh1 { 1/
2-1/2 Prendes Veiga,L-Bazan Solera,M/Asturias 1995/EXT 2002 }) 8. Qd2 a6 $5
{ Keeping things fluid } (8... c5 $5 { Seems odd but makes sense because of
the placing of the White pieces and is not a bad idea. }) 9. Rd1 { Playing
it safe and keeping the King safe on the Kside while preparing for
potential action on the d file } (9. O-O-O { Was perfectly fine as an
option but would seem to fall in with my plans and desire for a sharp
doubledged game. } 9... Ng4 $5 (9... Qc7 $5) 10. Rdf1 f6 11. Bf4 e5 12. h3
{ Is hard to evaluate }) 9... e5 (9... Qc7 $5 10. f4 Nh7 11. Bh4 b5 {
Seemed to be taking things too far in terms of trying to keep thing fluid
and unusual. }) 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Nc1 Qe7 (11... Qc7 { Is possible too but
not leading to much excitment really. } 12. O-O Nf8 13. Na4 Ne6 14. Be3 b5
15. Nb6 Rb8 16. Nxc8 Rxc8 17. Nd3 (17. h4 $5) 17... h4 18. Nc5 Nxc5 19.
Bxc5 Bf8 20. Be3 hxg3 21. hxg3) 12. Nd3 O-O 13. O-O Re8 (13... b5 $5) (
13... Qd6 $5) 14. f4 $1 { Played after a very long think and now I moved
quickly to keep the time advantage obtained. } 14... Qf8 $6 (14... b5 $5) (
14... Qd6 $1 { Was better and saves a tempo compared with the game. } 15.
fxe5 $2 Nxe5 16. Qf4 $2 Nfg4 $1 { Black is better. }) 15. f5 Qd6 (15... a5
$5) 16. fxg6 $6 { Too soon. } 16... fxg6 17. Bh3 { White is a fraction
better almost no matter what he does but this does little to create
problems, except that I was getting worried about the lack of any
counterplay or activity for me now and was finding it hard to see how I
could generate complex play with winning chances. } 17... Nh7 (17... Rf8 $1
{ And Black is fine }) 18. Be3 Ndf6 19. Bxc8 Raxc8 20. Nf2 { After this I
was a bit depresed about my chances as I knew I could make an easy draw by
exchanging on d2 now as the ending is equal. However I thought maybe I
could keep Queens on and have some chances later on. } (20. Kg2) (20. h3)
20... Qe7 21. Na4 $1 Bf8 22. Qc3 Qf7 23. Nb6 Rc7 24. Nc4 (24. b3 $5) 24...
Qe6 (24... Nd5 $1 { Is curious but something I missed } 25. exd5 cxd5 26.
Nd3 Qe6 27. Qxe5 Rxc4 28. Qxe6+ Rxe6 $11) 25. Qb3 Rf7 26. Nd2 (26. Na5)
26... Kg7 27. Qxe6 Rxe6 28. Nb3 { And so we have reached a dry sterile
ending in which any advantage is on the White side. A disppointing
situation to then find myself in considering I needed a win. } 28... Re8
29. Rd3 Be7 30. Rfd1 Nf8 31. Na5 Bb4 32. Nc4 N8d7 $6 (32... b5 33. Nd6 Bxd6
34. Rxd6 Rc7 { Is still a little bit better for White but very defendable }
) 33. a3 $2 { Lets Black off the hook and equal again } (33. Rb3 $1 { Was
strong. } 33... a5 34. a3 b5 35. axb4 bxc4 36. Rc3 axb4 37. Rxc4 c5 38. Nd3
$1) 33... Bf8 34. b4 $6 { Nerves and time trouble were becoming a factor
now and White now wanted to play for a win, but allows Black improve his
position now. } 34... Re6 $2 { This should be losing or close to it, but
White missed his chance and Black was back in the game right away. } (34...
c5 $1 { Solves all problems for Black }) 35. c3 $6 (35. Nh3 $1 { Was strong
}) 35... b5 (35... c5 $1) 36. Nd6 (36. Na5 $1) 36... Bxd6 37. Rxd6 Rfe7 {
The game is now heading towards a draw but I was desperate to find some way
to continue as we were both down to minutes and pressure might see
something happen. } 38. Kg2 Nf8 39. Bg5 N8h7 40. Bxf6+ { After the game
there was some confusion about how Black should take back here but it turns
out that concerns that taking back with Knight was best and perfectly safe.
} 40... Nxf6 $1 (40... Kxf6 $2 41. Rxe6+ Kxe6 42. Rd8 { With advantage
White }) (40... Rxf6 $5 41. Rxf6 Nxf6 42. Rd6 Rc7 $1 43. Re6 Kf7 44. Rxe5
Rd7 $11 { Is a resource/idea I missed }) 41. Rxe6 Rxe6 42. Kf3 g5 $6 { Not
losing but makes it a bit awkward } (42... c5 $1 { Is now the right time
and is equal } 43. bxc5 Rc6 44. Nd3 Nd7 45. Nb4 Rf6+ $1 $11 { Is the point
} 46. Ke3 Nxc5 47. Rd5 Na4 48. Rxe5 Nxc3 49. Rc5 Nb1) (42... Kf7 $5 { Also
holds }) 43. Rd8 g4+ 44. Ke3 c5 $4 { Diagram # Inexplicable blunder that is
hard to fathom. Time trouble and the realization that I had no winning
chances combine to crash and have a major malfunction. The rest was just as
they say good technique by White. A rather odd game in which the lack of
winning chances or and active counterplay was disappointing. } (44... Nh7
$1 $11 45. Nd3 Ng5 46. Rd7+ Kg8 $1 47. Ra7 Nf3 48. Rxa6 Nxh2 49. a4 Rf6 50.
Ra8+ Kg7 51. Ra7+ (51. a5 $4 Nf1+ 52. Ke2 Nxg3+ 53. Ke1 Nxe4 $19) 51... Kh6
52. Nxe5 Nf1+ 53. Kd4 bxa4 54. Nf7+ Kg6 55. Nh8+) 45. bxc5 Kf7 46. Nd3 Ke7
47. Rb8 Nd7 48. Rb7 Kd8 49. c6 Nf6 50. Rb6 Ne8 51. Rxa6 Nd6 52. Nb4 Nc4+
53. Ke2 Rd6 54. Nd5 Rxd5 55. exd5 Kc7 56. Ra7+ 1-0
