1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6

This is a line that was all the rage for a while when suggested as a main weapon against the Taimanov variation, in the book "Beating The Sicilian". As with many off beat lines it is dangerous because people forget the best way to react to them. It is also a very safe way for White to play. Black should be fine but hs to be careful.

6... bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. O-O Nf6 9. Qe2!?

I was more used to playing against 9. Re1 but this seems fairly tame.

9... Be7 10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 a5!?

Nothing wrong with this as such but a more speedy way to equality is 11... Bb7 and Black has little difficulty.

12. Rad1 Qc7 13. Na4 Bb7 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Be5

Unknown to me during the game, we were actually still following theory and a previous game had seen Black draw from a difficult position after he played 15... Qc6. In fact after I had a look at the actual notes to that game and they are well worth a look. I have given that game with notes as a point of comparison.

15... Qd8!?

This seems to be an improvement but I soon went wrong.

15... Qc6 16. Bb5 Ba6 17. c4 Bxb5 18. cxb5 Qb7 19. Rc1 Rfc8 20. b6 Ne8 21. Qb5 Bb4 22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. Rxc5 Rxc5 24. Qxc5 Rc8 25. Bc7 Nxc7 26. Rc1 h5 27. h4 d4 28. bxc7 Qb4 29. Qc6 Qd2 30. g3 d3 31. Kg2 Qb2 32. Rc4 Qe5 33. Qd7 Qd5+ 34. Qxd5 exd5 35. Rd4 Rxc7 36. Rxd5 Rc2 37. a4 Rc3 38. Rxh5 Rxb3 39. Rxa5 d2 40. Rd5 Ra3 1/2-1/2 Meier,G (2484)-Vitiugov,N .

16. c4 Nd7 17. Bb2 Bf6 18. cxd5

Now comes a key moment. I had considered taking on d5 with my pawn but it is not a move that appeals to me. In fact it is the best move and Black is equal after 18... exd5. However I thought there were little or no chances to play for a win, and decided that taking with the Bishop retained more options.

18... Bxd5 19. Ba3

I had not even considered this and played my next move far too quickly, overlooking a basic tactic that just loses a pawn. Instead 19...Re8 20 Bb5 is still safe enough.

19... Be7

19... Re8 20. Bb5 Rc8 (20... Rb8 21. Nc5 Nxc5 22. Bxc5 Qc7 23. Bxe8 Qxc5 24. Rc1 Qb6 25. Ba4 Qb7 26. f3 Rd8) 21. Bxd7 Qxd7 22. Nb6 Qb7 23. Nxc8 Rxc8 24. f3 a4 25. Rc1 Rb8 26. bxa4 Qa7+ 27. Kh1 Qxa4 is just an example of the type of play that can result.

20. Bxe7 Qxe7 21. Bxh7+ Kxh7 22. Rxd5

So White has won a pawn for nothing it seems. As is often the case however, some compensation can be obtained by having some odd features within the position. In this case Black has a central pawn which acts as an anchor for a Knight on the d5 square, plus black has a pawn on the fourth rank on the queenside, thus plenty of space. Still a pawn is a pawn and if it were a computer playing a computer then the result would hardly be in doubt. Being human on the other hand I quickly picked myself up and decided that all was far from lost and I had very good pactical chances to hold the position.

22... Nf6 23. Rd3 Qb4!? 24. Rfd1 Rac8 25. h3 Kg8 26. Qe5 Nd5

Around here I began to feel pretty comfortable.

27. Rd4 Qb8!

The ending is going to be difficult for White to convert a pawn advantage which by now was more like a half a pawn in true value. I was was also hopeful that White might falter now and lose his way a bit. Which is exacty what happened.

28. Qg5?! Rc2 29. Rg4?! g6 30. Qh6

After this I was seriously thinking about trying to get an advantage and win. Objectively White is a half a pawn up according to the Computer but in human terms the game has turned and Black with his next move assumes the initiative.

30... Rfc8!

Actually the only move but a good one. White was threatening to take on g6 with the rook and pick up the black rook on c2, while also having the huge threat of Rh4 and the threat of mate on h30... Rfc8 gives a flight square for the king and protects the rook on c2 which is vital. White was so disturbed by what seemed like such a turn of events that he thought for over 30 or 40 minutes for his next move. It had dawned on him that having been a clear pawn up he now may have to fight to stay on level terms. In human terms such things are very important and can greatly effect the outcome of a game

31. Rgd4

So after a big think and no doubt looking at lots of variations White actually blunders and hands over the advantage to Black.

31... Rxa2??

And after thinking for far too little time Black in turn not merely blunders but does so on a whole other scale. Hard to understand or explain what allowed such a truly absurd mistake, but the basic lesson one learns when starting off in chess of thinking and checking before making moves could not be more. I had been on the verge of playing 31... Qe5 (the correct move which puts White under pressure) but somehow thought I might as well grab the a pawn first and also threaten to double rooks on the seventh. In other words, I got carried away completely, forgot the rook was hanging on c8 now and rather stupidily tried to capitalize on the fact that White had used up so much time for his last move. Chess is a cruel game and you simply cannot afford to be so complacent.

32. Rh4

And that is it! Now after the standard defense of ... Qe5 which applied previously the diffference is that the rook hangs on c8!

1-0

Annotator(s): Colm Daly.

Source(s): Colm Daly web site.

Event information: Elm Mount win Branagan Cup for 3rd time in a row!, Elm Mount C.C. web pages, July 4, 2013.

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