[Event "Deacons League"] [Site "Newton Abbot"] [Date "2019.11.28"] [Round ""] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "P Miller"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteECF "163"] [BlackECF "120"] [EventDate "2019.11.28"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 3.cxd5 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 {A sneaky way of getting to a main line Grunfeld position. Now the best move for white is 5.Qa4+ and black will struggle to regain his pawn. eg 5....Bd7 6.Qb3 Bc8 7.Nc3 holds the pawn.} 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 O-O {Now we are back in a main line position. White places his hopes on his central pawns while black tries to undermine them.} 8.Be3 c5 9.Qd2 Bg4 10.Rb1 {White allows black to disrupt his pawns, in the hope that the resulting centre will be very strong.} 10...Bxf3 11.gxf3 cxd4 12.cxd4 b6 {12....e6 is better, because after 13.Rxb7 Nc6, white cannot hold the d-pawn. 14.d5 exd5 15.exd5 Nd4! (Na5 is also good) 16.Bxd4 Qxd5 leaves black well on top.} 13.f4 f5 $2 {Black lives to regret this move which leaves his e-pawn permanently backward. Perhaps he thought there would be counterplay on the long diagonal, but white's next move cuts this out.} 14.Bc4+ Kh8 15.e5 a6 16.d5 b5 17.Be2 $6 {It becomes apparent that the bishop remains more effective on the a2-g8 diagonal 17.Bb3 is better.} 17...Nd7 18.d6 $6 {White releases the tension too soon. He hopes that his bishops will gain him material, but this shouldn't work.} 18...e6 $2 {Black should take the pawn - advancing the e-pawn leaves white with a protected passed pawn, and black with a weak backward pawn. 18...exd6 19.Qxd6 Qa5+ 20.Qd2 Qxd2 21. Bxd2 g5 leaves a messy position where black has good chances of surviving.} 19.h4 h5 20.Bf3 Rb8 21.Ba7 $6 {21.Rc1 Rc8 22.Ke2 leaves black nearly paralysed.} 21...Rc8 22.Bb7 Rc4 23.Rc1 Bh6 {23....Nxe5!? 24.fxe5 Qd7 is an interesting attempt to take advantage of white's last few less than accurate moves. White would have to find 25.Rxc4 Qxb7 26.Rc1! (26.Rc7 doesn't work 26...Qxh1+ 27.Ke2 Qe4+ 28.Qe3 Qxe5 29.Qxe5 Bxe5 with a probable draw because the d-pawn is pinned) Qxh1+ 27.Ke2 Qe4+ 28.Qe3 Qxe5 29.Qxe5 Bxe5 30.d7 Bf6 31.Bd4! Bxd4 32.Rc8 Bb6 33. Rxf8+ and white has a winning endgame.} 24. Rxc4 bxc4 25.Rh3 Kh7 {The tactic 25...Nxe5 doesn't work because of 26.Bd4 and the knight is pinned, so black moves his king.} 26.Be3 Nb8 27.Qb4 { White's pieces are starting to dominate and black struggles to hold things together.} 27...Rf7 28.Bg2 Qc8 29.Bd2 $1 Nd7 30.Rc3 Qd8 {A forlorn attempt to get kingside counterplay.} 31.Qxc4 Qxh4 32.Qxe6 Kg7 $6 {Black's last chance was 32....Rg7 hoping for the natural 33.Rc7 when after 33...Bxf4! things are suddenly not so clear. A fascinating line is 34.Rxd7 Bxd2+ 35.Kxd2 Qb4+ 36.Kd3 Qb5+ 36.Qc4! Qb1+ (Qxd7 37.Bc6 Qd8 38.Qc5 and the pawns should win the day.) 38.Kd4 Qb2+ 39.Kd5 Rxd7 40.Ke6 Rg7 41.d7 Qb6+ 42.Bc6 (42.Qc6 is not so good because black will play ...Qd8 and ...Qe7) g5 43.Kd6 Qb8+ 44.Kd5 Re7 45.e6 Rxe6 46.Kxe6 Qg8+ 47.Kd6 Qxc4 48.d8=Q and white has the advantage, but there is still lots of play in the position (whether 2 humans could play like this is another matter). So white would have to take a move to defend the f4 pawn (eg 33.Rc4) when he is still winning easily.} 33.Bd5 {Now it's completely won for white.} 33...Nxe5 34.Qxe5+ Kh7 35.Bxf7 Qh1+ 36.Ke2 Qb7 37.Rc7 {A tough struggle.} 1-0