Black finally pulls it out in the endgame.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. e3 axb5 6. Bxb5 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Ne4 The book move 7... Bb7 is a bit better, putting more pressure on the White center. 8. Qd3 Simply 8. Nge2 Nd6 (else 9.0-0) 9. Bd3 gives White a comfortable game. 8... Nxc3 9. bxc3 g6 10. Ne2 Bg7 11. O-O O-O 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. a4 d6 14. e4 Nd7 15. f4 Bb7 16. Ng3 e6 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Bc4 Another idea is 18. e5 d5 19. c4 , locking out the Bg7 while maintaining pressure on the center. 18... Rfe8 19. Be3 Nb6 20. Bb5 Bc6 21. Bxc6 Qxc6 22. a5 Na4 r3r1k1/6bp/2qpp1p1/P1p5/n3PP2/2PQB1N1/6PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 23 23. Rxa4? A needless sacrifice. The time is right for 23. f5! Be5 (not 23... Nxc3?? 24. f6 or) (23... Bxc3? 24. Rxa4) 24. fxg6 hxg6 25. Bf4 with good attacking chances. If the Be5 moves, White has e5! threatening Qxg6+. 23... Qxa4 24. Qxd6 Qxa5 25. e5 Qxc3 26. Qxc5 Rec8 27. Qb6 Rc6 28. Bd4? Gives Black even more tempi chasing the wayward wQ. 28. Ne4 28... Qc4 29. Qb2 Ra2 30. Qb8+ Rc8 31. Qb6 Bf8! The entry of Black's last player into the attack should prove decisive. 32. Be3 Bc5? 32... Qd5 ends the game: 33. Ne4 (33. Bf2? is crushed by 33... Bc5 and) (33. Rf2? Rxf2 34. Kxf2 Rc2+ 35. Ne2 Qc4 wins the N) 33... Qxe4 34. Qxe6+ Kh8 35. Qxa2 Qxe3+ 36. Qf2 Bc5 37. Qxe3 Bxe3+ 38. Kh1 Bxf4! 33. Bxc5 Qxc5+ 34. Qxc5 Rxc5 35. Rf2 Rc1+ 36. Nf1 Rcc2 37. Rxc2 Rxc2 38. g3 Re2 39. h3 h5 40. Nh2 g5 41. fxg5 Rxe5 42. Nf3 Ra5 43. h4 Ra2 44. Kf1 Kg7 45. Ne5 Ra5 46. Nd7 Rd5 47. Nf6 Rf5+ 48. Ke2 Rxf6 Black had few winning chances left anyway. 49. gxf6+ Kxf6 50. Ke3 Kf5 51. Kf3 e5 52. Ke3 Kf6 53. Ke4 Ke6 54. Ke3 Kf5 55. Kf3 e4+ 56. Ke3 Ke5 8/8/8/4k2p/4p2P/4K1P1/8/8 w - - 0 57 57. Ke2?? Without the g- and h-pawns, this would be correct. In this position, it loses. 57. Kd2 Kd4 58. Ke2 e3 59. g4! now draws, because White will Queen with check. 57... Kd4 58. Kd2 e3+ 59. Ke2 Ke4 60. g4 hxg4 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

White wins the opposite sides castling battle by first defusing the enemy attack.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. g3 Bg4 6. Bg2 Qd7 7. O-O O-O-O 8. Nbd2 Nge7 9. Nb3 Ng6 10. Bf4 10. Bg5! Be7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Nfxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 is equal, because 13... c5 14. Bd5 cxd4 15. Qxd4 garners 3 pawns for the piece. 10... Nxf4 11. gxf4 Bh3 12. Bxh3 Qxh3 13. Kh1 g6?! 13... Qf5 is better, maintaining pressure on the weak Pf4. 14. Nc1 h6 15. Rg1 Be7 16. Nd3 g5 2kr3r/ppp1bp2/2n4p/4P1p1/2Pp1P2/3N1N1q/PP2PP1P/R2Q2RK w - - 0 17 17. b4! Oddly, White is the one who has ended up with the better attacking chances. The bQ is relatively unassisted, and Rg3 is always a possibility, gaining a tempo to swing the R over to the Queenside. 17... gxf4? Now it's Black who has the weak pawn on f4. 17... g4 18. Nfe1 Nxb4 19. Nxb4 Bxb4 20. Qa4 Bxe1 is a better try. 18. Qa4 Qe6 18... a6 19. b5 Nb8 20. Nxf4 is also unpleasant. 19. b5 Nb8 20. c5 Qd5 21. Rac1 21. Qxa7! Qe4 22. Rge1 and Rab1 followed by c6 is going to cause a major headache. 21... Rhg8 22. Qxa7 f6 23. c6 23. Rxg8 Rxg8 24. Nxf4 Qe4 25. c6 is devastating. 23... bxc6 At least after 23... Rxg1+ 24. Kxg1 Qxb5 , Black might make it to the endgame. 24. Rxg8 Rxg8 25. b6 cxb6 26. Qxe7 Qxa2 27. exf6 1-0 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

White very nearly garners a big upset draw.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. c3 A rarely seen continuation. 6. Bb5 is the main line. 6... cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd6 8. N2f3 Nge7 9. Bd3 Bg4 10. Qc2 h6 11. Be3 O-O 12. O-O Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc6 14. Nxc6 14. Rfe1 14... bxc6= 15. Rfe1 Qh4 16. g3 Qh5 17. Bf1 Bf3 18. Bg2 Rfe8 19. Bxf3 Qxf3 20. Qe2 Qf5 21. Qa6 Qd7 22. Rad1 h5 23. c4 Be5 24. cxd5 cxd5 25. Bd4 White is content to just trade down to a drawn position against the IM. 25... Bxd4 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Rxd4 Rd8 28. b4 g6 29. a4 Re8 30. Kg2 Re6 30... Re4!? 31. Rxe4 dxe4= 31. Qa5 Re5 32. b5 h4!? Jesse forces his opponent to jump over one more hurdle to earn a draw. 33. Rxh4 d4 34. Qd2 Qd5+ 35. f3 d3 6k1/p4p2/6p1/1P1qr3/P6R/3p1PP1/3Q2KP/8 w - - 0 36 36. Qh6?? A fatal delusion of grandeur! A chess sage once said, "One bad move nullifies forty good ones." After 36. Qc3! Black can't escape the inevitable rash of checks. 36... Qa2+ 37. Kh3 Qe2 38. Qc8+ Re8 39. Qc3 and Black has nothing better than repeating the position with 39... Re5 . 36... Re2+ 37. Kh3 37. Kg1 Qc5+ 38. Kh1 Qe5 and White's pieces are fatally out of play. 37... Qe6+ 37... Qf5+ 38. Rg4 d2 wins even quicker. 38. g4 Qe5 39. Qh7+ Kf8 40. Qh8+ Qxh8 41. Rxh8+ Ke7 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

Black uses his opponent's aggression against him, in true Pirc style.

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be3 c6 7. Qd2 b5 8. e5 b4! As a Pirc player, I appreciate the opening's twisted sense of humor. Here, Black meets the central attack by playingontheflank! 9. exf6 bxc3 10. bxc3 Bxf6 11. c4 Nd7 12. g4? Since White is not positioned to launch an effective attack, the pawn is just a target. r1bq1rk1/p2npp1p/2pp1bp1/8/ 2PP1PP1/4BN2/P1PQ3P/R3KB1R b KQ - 0 12 12... e5 12... c5! is natural and strong, exploiting the weak a1-h8 diagonal. Both 13. c3 Qa5 14. Rb1 Nb6 and ( 12... c5 ) 13. g5 Bg7 14. Rb1 Qc7 15. Be2 cxd4 give Black strong play against the doubled c-pawns. 13. c3 13. fxe5 is a bit better, giving the Be3 some scope. 13... exf4 After 13... e4! 14. Ng5 Nb6 15. Nxe4 Bh4+ 16. Ng3 Re8 Black is having all the fun. 14. Bxf4 Re8+ 15. Kf2 Nb6 16. g5 Bg7 17. Re1 Be6 18. Bxd6? This tactic just opens the a-file for Black. 18... Qxd6 19. c5 Qc7 20. cxb6 axb6 21. c4?! White insists on forging ahead, although behind in development. 21... b5 21... Ra5 22. Be2 Rea8 is a simple and effective way to build the pressure. 22. Rc1?! 22. cxb5!? forces Black to find 22... Re7! to preserve his advantage.(22... Rxa2? 23. Qxa2 Bxa2 24. Rxe8+ is fine for White) 22... Red8 23. Be2 Qa7?! 23... Ra4! wins the c-pawn, since 24. cxb5 Bxd4+ is too dangerous. 24. Rhd1 Qxa2 25. Rc2 Qa4 26. cxb5 cxb5 27. Rc5? 27. Rb2 puts up more resistance, but throughout the game, White has been unwilling to take a purely defensive stance. 27... b4 28. Bc4 b3 29. d5 29. Qc3 b2 30. Rb1 Rxd4! is lights out. 29... b2 30. Kg3 Bf5 31. d6 Qxd1 32. Bxf7+ A last desperate try, but Black isn't biting. 32... Kh8! 33. Qxd1 b1=Q 34. Qd5 Qe4 35. Rc7 Ra3 36. Qxe4 Bxe4 37. d7 Rxf3+ 38. Kg4 Rxf7 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

Santillan had an excellent tournament, finishing with 3.5/4. Here, he shows the power of central play over a flank attack.

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 a6!? Not in the books, because Black usually castles before committing to ...Nc6, and avoids a Bb5 pin without loss of time. 4. b3 c5 5. Bb2 e6 6. Be2 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Qe1 b5 9. d3 Qb6 10. Bd1 Bb7 11. Nbd2 Rc8 12. Ne5 d4 13. e4 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. exd4 breaks up the Black center, though Black's pieces are still better developed. 13... Nxe5 14. fxe5 Nd7 15. Qg3 O-O 16. Bh5 f6 17. Nf3 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 fxe5 2r2rk1/1b2b1pp/pq2p3/1pp1p2B/3pP3/1P1P2Q1/PBP3PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 19 19. Rf3? White does not really have any attacking chances, so it's best to just recapture the pawn. 19... Rxf3 20. gxf3? Gives the e5 pawn a purpose: it holds the backward f3 pawn at bay, and any advance just 'fixes' Black's pawn structure. 20. Bxf3 20... Bf6 21. Bc1 c4 22. Kh1 cxb3 23. cxb3 Rc3 24. Bh6? At least after 24. Bd2 Rxd3 25. Qe1 , the Rook has trouble getting out. 24... Rxd3 25. Rg1 Qc7 26. Qh3 Qe7 27. Bg4 Bxe4! A fitting conclusion: Black has proven that his central play was more important. 28. Bxe6+ Kh8 29. Bd5 Bxd5 30. Qc8+ Bg8 31. Qg4 Qf7 and Black soon won. 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

An entertaining struggle despite all the mistakes. Black only ends up with a draw despite all of his sacrifices.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Bg4 6. Be2 Nf6 7. O-O e6 8. Be3 Be7 The books like 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 , giving White an isolated d-pawn. 9. dxc5 O-O 10. Nbd2 Rfd8!? More interesting than the simple recapture 10... Bxc5 . Black aims for rapid development. 11. b4 Qh5 12. h3 Bxh3 Perhaps unsound, but consistent with the spirit of the 10th move. 13. gxh3 Qxh3 14. Nh2 Ne5 15. Bd4 Rd5 15... Nc6 16. Qb3 Nd5 r5k1/pp2bppp/4pn2/2Prn3/1P1B4/2P4q/P2NBP1N/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 16 16. Bf3? Too soon! 16. Kh1! with the idea of Rg1 is the right way to secure the King position. 16... Rad8?? A bad sacrifice, especially when 16... Neg4! could have been played instead. 17. Bxg4 Nxg4 18. Nxg4 Rg5= 17. Qe2 17. Bxd5 is perfectly sound as well as winning. White need not fear 17... Neg4 18. Nxg4 Nxg4 19. Re1 Qh2+ 20. Kf1 . 17... Neg4? This trade is now good for White. 17... Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Qh4 18. Bxg4 Nxg4 19. Qxg4? Bad, but not losing. 19. Nxg4 Rg5 20. f3 h5 21. Ne4 Rg6 22. Qg2 ends Black's attack. 19... Rg5 20. Qxg5 Bxg5 21. Ndf3 Rd5 22. Be5 f6 23. Bg3 h5 24. Kh1 h4 25. Ng1? A step in the wrong direction. The N was doing fine on f3. 25. Bb8 25... Qf5 26. Bd6 e5 27. Rae1 Rd2? Just the chance White needed. 27... Bf4! 28. Re2 (28. Ngf3?? Rd3 and the threat of ...Rxf3 decides matters) 28... Rd3 gives Black an overwhelming bind. 28. Nhf3 A humorous end to this zany game. White now has the annoying threat of Bxe5. 28... Qg4 28... Rd3 29. Nxg5 Qxg5 30. f4 is the last chance to win. 29. Nh2 29. Nxd2?? h3 wins on the spot. 29... Qf5 30. Nhf3 1/2-1/2 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

Black shrugs off an N fork and buries his opponent with a powerful combination.

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 c6 5. Nf3 Bf5 6. Bf4 e6 7. a3 Nf6 8. b4 Qd8 9. Qd2 Bd6 10. Bg5 Nbd7 11. Bd3 Bxd3 12. Qxd3 Qc7 13. O-O h6 14. Bh4 g5 15. Bg3 Bxg3 16. fxg3 O-O-O 17. b5 Central play with 17. Rae1 is an interesting alternative. 17... c5= 18. b6!? Qxb6 19. Rab1 Qc6 20. Qc4 Nd5 21. Rfe1? 21. Nxd5 exd5 22. Qc3 Rhe8 23. Qa5 keeps White in it. 21... N5b6 22. Qe2 22. Qb3 allows White to recapture on d4. 22... cxd4 23. Nb5 Kb8 Not really necessary. 23... Qc5 24. Qf2 Nc4 25. Nbxd4 a6 gives Black a good position. 24. Ne5 Qc5 25. Nxf7?? A woeful underestimation of the power of Black's discovered check. 25. Nd3 was mandatory. 1k1r3r/pp1n1N2/1n2p2p/1Nq3p1/3p4/P5P1/2P1Q1PP/1R2R1K1 b - - 0 25 25... d3+ 26. Qe3 d2! 27. Re2 Qxc2 A fascinating position. Despite his seemingly active heavy pieces, White can't help but lose a Rook for the passed pawn. 28. Nc3 Qxb1+! 29. Nxb1 d1=Q+ 30. Re1 Qd5 31. Kh1 31. Nxh8 Rxh8 32. Qxe6 Qxe6 33. Rxe6 still leaves Black a full piece up. 31... e5 32. Nc3? Qxf7 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

After surprising his opponent with a sacrificial attack, White ruins his game with a crude blunder.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. c5 Nbd7 6. Bf4 b6 The most common book move is 6... Nh5 , forcing the wB to declare his intentions. 7. b4 g6 8. h3 Bg7 9. e3 Nh5 10. Rc1 The *NEW!* more positionally inclined Fritz 9 prefers keeping the Bishop pair via 10. Bh2 . 10... bxc5 11. bxc5 Nxf4 12. exf4 Qc7 13. g3 O-O 14. Bg2 Kh8 15. O-O f6 16. f5 Re8 With White's attack building rapidly, Black needs to take quick defensive action. 16... Bh6 17. Rc2 ( also possible is the exchange sacrifice 17. fxg6 Bxc1 18. Qxc1 Rg8) 17... gxf5 18. Nh4 Bg5 19. Nxf5 Ne5 and Black is O.K. 17. fxg6 hxg6?! If Black had seen the danger, he would have preferred 17... Nf8 . 18. Nh4 Kh7? 18... e6 is necessary, to prevent White's next. r1b1r3/2qnp1bk/ p1p2pp1/2Pp4/3P3N/2N3PP/P4PB1/2RQ1RK1 w - - 0 19 19. Nxd5! An awesome sacrifice, empowering the Bg2 to help in the attack. 19... cxd5 20. Bxd5 Nf8 He must do something to prepare for Bf7. 20... Rb8? 21. Bf7 Nf8 22. Nxg6! and Black can resign. 21. Bxa8 Bxh3 22. Bg2 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 f5? 24. Nxf5! Bf6 24... gxf5?? 25. Qh5+ picks off the Rook. 25. Rh1+ Kg8 26. Ne3 A more straightforward winning plan is 26. Nh6+ Kg7 27. Ng4 , trading off Black's best piece. 26... Rd8 27. d5 Qe5 28. Qd3 Kg7 29. c6 Ne6 30. Ng4 Qg5 31. Nxf6?? Ruins everything. 31. c7 forces trades. 31... Nf4+ And now Black graciously gave his opponent a draw. A win would have given him 4/4 and a tie for first with Kraai! Perhaps his time was low, or he felt bad about winning the game with a sucker punch... 1/2-1/2 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

White turns his positional advantage into a smashing attack.

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. O-O c6 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Qd2 c5!? A novelty. Most book games continued 11... Nxg3 . 12. d5 a6 13. a4 Nxg3 14. hxg3 Ne5 15. Nh2 e6 16. f4 Ng6 17. Kh1 gxf4 18. gxf4 exd5 18... Qh4! and Black's doing fine, even after 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Qxd6 Rxf4 . 19. Nxd5 19. f5!? looks good at first, but the murky sacrifice 19... Qh4 20. fxg6 Be5 is disappointing for White, given the grip he had on the position. 19... Be6 19... Ne7= is a better way to challenge White's star player; Black retains the two Bishops. 20. Ra3 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qf6 22. Rg3 Kh7? 22... Kh8 is a tougher defense. In the game, Black has to worry about N checks on f6. 23. Bd3 23. Ng4 Qxb2 24. Qh5 is already decisive. The simple threat of Rh3 causes Black grave distress. Also, the Bishop is immune, thanks to Nf6+. 23... Qd4? A misplacement of the Queen. She can no longer answer White's Qh5 with ...Qh4. White now builds a decisive attack. r4r2/1p3pbk/p2p2np/2pQ4/ P1PqPP2/3B2R1/1P4PN/5R1K w - - 0 24 24. Qh5 Rae8 25. f5 Ne5 26. f6 Rg8 26... Bh8? 27. Ng4 Nxg4 28. Qf5+ mates. 27. fxg7 Rxg7 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Ng4 Re6 30. Nxe5 1-0 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

Black weasels out of a bad position, then takes it home in the endgame.

1. d4 d6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 Bg7 5. Nge2 O-O 6. Ng3 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Be2 exd5 9. exd5 a6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Bg5 Qc7 It's not clear that this is the best square for the Q. 11... Re8 and 12...Ne5 seems like a good alternative. 12. Qd2 Re8 13. Rfe1 Nf8 Again, I'd prefer the less passive 13... Ne5 . 14. Bd3 Bd7 15. Nce4 Ng4? Oddly, Black, with the cramped position, is the one avoiding trades. 15... Nxe4 is correct. 16. h3 h6 17. Bh4! Not 17. hxg4?! hxg5 17... g5? Weakens the Kingside badly. 17... Ne5 18. Nf6+ Kh8 is Black's best chance; he gives up an exchange, but gets rid of annoying enemy N and keeps his King protected. 18. Bxg5 18. hxg4! gxh4 19. Nh5 is very scary for Black. White will nab the Bg7, then commence a full-scale assault on the King. Black will probably be compelled to make the defensive sacrifice ...Rxe4 just to survive. 18... f5 19. hxg4 fxe4 r3rnk1/1pqb2b1/p2p3p/2pP2B1/2P1p1P1/3B2N1/PP1Q1PP1/R3R1K1 w - - 0 20 20. Bxe4?? A weak move, ruining a winning position. 20. Bxh6 exd3 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Nh5+ gives White a winning attack. Black must choose between allowing White to take the d-pawn with check, or allowing White to play Qh6. 20... hxg5 21. Qxg5 Qd8 22. Qh5 Re5 23. Bf5 Be8 24. Qh3 Bg6 25. Nh5 Bxh5 26. gxh5 Qg5 27. Rxe5 Bxe5 28. g3 b5 29. cxb5? 29. Rb1!? bxc4 30. Kf1 threatening 31.f4, is the only chance to confuse the issue. 29... axb5 30. a3 b4? Why trade pawns that you can take for free? 30... Bxb2 31. Ra2 (or 31. Rb1 Rxa3!) 31... c4! wins easily. 31. Re1? 31. Rb1 bxa3 32. bxa3 Rxa3 33. Rb8 at least attempts to get some counterplay. 31... bxa3 32. bxa3 Rxa3 33. Qg4 Qxg4 34. Bxg4 Bxg3! 35. Be6+ Nxe6 36. dxe6 Be5 37. e7 Ra8 38. f4 Bd4+ 39. Kg2 Re8 39... Kf7 is faster. 40. Re6 Kf7 41. Rxd6 Kxe7 42. Ra6 c4 43. Rc6 c3 44. Kf3 Kd7 45. Rc4 Bh8 White has no good answer to the upcoming ...Rc8. 0-1 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

White's space advantage dominates the game, helping him get over a few bumps in the road.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 e6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. a3 e5?! White gets a space advantage and Black only has a cramped game to show for it. White did very well in 'book' games after this move. 10. d5 Nb8 11. h3 a5 12. Be3 Bd7 13. Qe2 Na6 14. Rac1 Ne8 15. Nd2 f5 16. f3 16. exf5 Bxf5 17. Bxf5 Rxf5 18. f4 trades off a 'bad' Bishop for a good one, and opens the game for the better-developed White forces. 16... f4 17. Bf2 Bh4 18. Rfd1 18. Bxh4 Qxh4 19. Bb5 gets White some play on the Queenside. 18... Bxf2+ 19. Qxf2 Rf6 19... Nc5 gets the N to a good square, with tempo. 20. Kh2 20. Nc4 discourages 20... Nc5 , thanks to 21. Nxe5 . 20... Rg6 21. Bb5 Bxb5 22. Nxb5 Nc5 23. Rc3 Qd7 24. Qe2 a4 25. Rdc1 Nf6? r5k1/1p1q2pp/3p1nr1/1NnPp3/p3Pp2/P1R2P1P/1P1NQ1PK/2R5 w - - 0 26 26. Nxd6! The shot that Black missed. 26... b6 27. N6c4 Qb5 28. Qf1 Nfd7 29. Qd1 Since Black's Queen is the more active of the two, White should try 29. Ne3 , offering a trade. 29... Qxb2?? 30. R1c2 wins, so Black must either trade or allow Nf5. 29... h5 Envisioning ...h4 and ...Rg3, but White is faster. There is very little that can be done to stop the opening of the c-file. White stands better. 30. b4 axb3 31. Nxb3 Kh7? 31... Na4 32. Rd3 Qa6 is the best try to slow down White's Queenside play. 32. Nxc5 bxc5 33. Qb3 Qa6 34. Qc2 Qf6 35. Nd2 A rather slow and passive move. 35. a4 at least gets the passed pawn rolling. 35... Qg5 36. Nf1 Qh4 37. Qe2 Rga6 38. Qb2 R8a7 39. Rb3 g5 40. Rb7 g4 41. Rxa7 White can get away with 41. Rxc5! gxh3 42. Rc6! (not 42. gxh3?? Rxb7) 42... hxg2+ 43. Kxg2 Qg5+ 44. Kf2 and Black has no good follow up, while White retains Queenside pressure. 41... Rxa7 42. Rc3 gxh3?! The feint (sp?) 42... Qe1! is better, maintaining the tension. 43. g3 A handy move that clarifies the Kingside situation. 43... fxg3+ 44. Nxg3 Qf4 45. Kxh3 h4? 45... Nf6 stops the wN from reaching a good square - 46. Nf5? Nxd5 . 46. Ne2 46. Nf5! Nf6 47. d6 is a very different situation than in the last note. White's passed pawn is quite dangerous. 46... Qg5 47. Qc1 Qg6 Black can't really avoid a Q trade, so he might as well defend the h-pawn with 47... Kh6 . 48. Qg1 Qf6 49. Qg4 Rb7 50. Qxh4+ Qxh4+ 51. Kxh4 Rb2 52. Nc1 Kg6 53. Kg3 53. Nb3 can be played immediately. 53... Kg5 54. Nd3 Ra2 54... Rb5 is more stubborn. 55. Nxc5 Nf6 56. Ne6+ Kh5 57. Re3 Kg6 58. f4 Nh5+ 59. Kf3 1-0 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]

White's Nd5 carries the day.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Be2 O-O 12. c3 Bg5 13. O-O f5 14. Bf3 f4 Pressing for an attack, but the move also relieves the central tension. 15. Bg4! Trades off the 'good' Bishop on c8. 15... Ra7 16. Nc2 Raf7 I was puzzled by this move, as I can shut down play on the f-file. 17. Bxc8 Qxc8 18. f3 Qe6?! My opponent still has ideas of getting play on the Kingside, but it's far too slow. Strategically, Black is better off playing 18... Rb7 or 18... a5 , playing on the Queenside. 19. a4 5rk1/5rpp/p1npq3/1p1Np1b1/P3Pp2/2P2P2/1PN3PP/R2Q1RK1 b - - 0 19 19... b4? Not only losing a pawn, but losing any chance to challenge the dominant wNd5. 19... bxa4 20. Rxa4 a5 offers more resistance, although Na3-c4 will leave White with the superior game. 20. Ncxb4 Nxb4 21. Nxb4 I rejected 21. cxb4 because I didn't want to double my pawns, but Fritz points out that White could make good use of the open c-file. 21... Rb7 22. a5 Holds the weak a6 pawn in place. 22... Rb5 23. Rf2 d5 Fritz's alternative 23... Bd8 24. Rd2 Bxa5 25. Rxd6 is no help for Black. 24. Nxd5 Bd8 25. b4 g5 26. Rd2 Rb7 27. Nxf4! Bb6+ 27... exf4 28. Rxd8 is worse. 28. Kh1 exf4 29. Rd6 Qc4 30. axb6 g4 31. Qd5+ 1-0 [RM+Fritz 9 (120s)]