[Event "BCCC2015"] [Site ""] [Date "2015-05-21"] [White "James Watson"] [Black "Jamie Brotheridge"] [WhiteElo "1424"] [BlackElo "1533"] [Result "1-0"] 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 h6 8.Bh4 a5 9.h3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 a4 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Be2 Qa5 13.O-O O-O 14.Rab1 Nd5 15.Rfc1 Rd8 16.Nxd5 exd5 17.Bd3 Be6 18.b4!? {Maybe premature as white would would like a knight on d3 before playing for b4, but as b4 is a strategical aim i wanted to take advantage of the fact that this works tactically} axb3 {no doubt this is best} 19.axb3 Ba3 20.Rd1 Rdc8 21.b4 Bxb4 22.Qb2 Bd6 23.Qxb7 Rab8 24.Qa6 Qxa6 25.Bxa6 Rxb1 26.Rxb1 Ra8?! 27.Rb6 Bc8? {Bd7 needed to be played even though its not a pleasant move to make. now white wins a pawn and has enough time to deal with the back rank threats} 28.Rxc6 Rxa6 {Black offered a draw} 29.Rxc8+ Kh7 30.g4 {This sort of position is fun to be on the winning side of since blacks complete lack of counterplay means white can take all the time in the world playing cat and mouse since the weakness on d5 isn't going anywhere and the knight will run rings around the bishop in this sort of fixed pawn structure} g5 31.Rd8 Kg6 32.Ne5+ Kf6 33.Nf3 Kg6 34.h4 f5! 35.hxg5? {it should be a draw hereafter, as white should lose his plus-pawn (BvR)} fxg4 36.Ne5+ Bxe5 37.dxe5 Kf5? {A strange blunder: after simply 37...Kxg4;38.Rxd5, Re6; white will lose his d-pawn with a draw as a result. (BvR) (JW) It may well be a draw after 37...Kxg5 but it is not so easy for black to win back the pawn as a rook exchange results in a winning pawn ending for white in a lot of variations. for example 37...Kxg5 38.Rxe5 Re6 39.Kg2 Kf5 40.Kg3 h5 41.Kh4 Rxe5?? 42.Rxe5 Kxe5 43.Kxh5 1-0 so instead black would have to try 40....Kg5! 42.f4+!? gxf e.p 43.Kxf3 and white retains an extra pawn but the resulting position is most likely a draw. (BvR) I don't see why it would not be an easy draw after 37...Kxg4;38.Rxd5, Re6; a) there will no danger of swapping rooks for black via Rd6, because he then will take Rxe5 (of course) and after b) 39.Kg2, h5; 40.Kg3, h5+ (not Kf5?); 41.Kg2, Kf5 winning white's e-pawn.} 38.gxh6 Rxh6 39.Rxd5 Rh3 40.Kg2 Rh6 41.Rd6 Rh8 42.e6 {#r}