Comments in [ ] brackets are by Fritz 9.This was the final Round and both Gerard and I had three points out of four and so we both wanted to win to be assured of at least a share of prize money. The game swings slightly back and forth on either side of equality until I slip up and Gerard finds the killer move.

1. d4 d5 2. Bg5 When I first moved to Albuquerque in August of 2004, I was playing the Colle/Koltanowski system as White - but found it difficult to to develop the Q-Bishop. Lloyd Gustafson, President of the Bear Canyon Sr. Center Chess club, taught me, by example, to bring that Bishop out before playing e3. Lloyd preferred 2.Bf4. Gerard's preference can lead into a Trompowsky type opening. 2... c6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 In the Colle system, White usually wants to post the light square Bishop on d3 where if left unmolested it becomes a deadly force in K-side attacks so I try to prevent 5.Bd3 But Gerard makes the move anyway. 5. Bd3 In the post-mortem (and that is the word for it because Mr. Ortiz left me for dead!) Gerard asked how I would have taken if he had played 5.Bxf6 to double my pawns. We both thought keeping the Black pawns connected with ...exf6 was the better choice. 5... Bxd3 I did not mind this exchange because most of my pawns will end up on white squares. 6. Qxd3 Nbd7 7. Nf3 e6 8. Nbd2 Be7 Here, an alternative I considered was 8...Bd6 to discourage White from playing Ne5, followed by 9...h6. 9. O-O O-O 10. e4 10. c4= should be examined more closely. 10... dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 12... Nxf2 is worth looking at 13. Rxf2 Qxe7 (I had actually considered Mr. Fritz's suggested win of a pawn but was uneasy about opening the f-file for White's Rooks - and so, mistakenly, did not play the better move.) 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qe5 Rad8 15. Rfe1 Rd5 What 1200 player can resist attacking their opponents queen? In our post-game analysis Gerard & I discussed 15.....Qd6, which we thought should leave an equal position. 16. Qe2 Rfd8 17. Rad1 Rh5 After the game, Gerard suggest that 17...c5 might have been considered. But that would have led to some wood-chopping and a drawish position while both of us needed a win. 18. Rd3 We both want to transfer Rooks to the K-side. It turns out my opponent, as a famous song says, "does it better". 18... Qc7 19. Ne5 Rh6 About this point, I became uneasy about my game as I could see both White Rooks, Queen and Knight with the potential to pile up on my King and so offered a draw. Gerard's reply was the correct: "I'll think about it". 19... Rh4 20. Rg3= 20. Qd2 Kf8?! Gerard commented that he thought this move was not the best and Fritz agrees. 20... Rh4 21. Qg5 Rh5 22. Qg3= 21. Ree3 21. Rf3 Kg8 21... Nd5 22. Rh3 22. Re4!? is noteworthy 22... Rxh3 23. Rxh3 3r1k2/ppq2ppp/2p1p3/3nN3/3P4/2P4R/PP1Q1PPP/6K1 b - - 0 23 23... Nf6 23... Nxc3!? is interesting 24. bxc3 Qxe5 23... Nxc3 Has Mr. Fritz gone astray in this possible variation? Does not 24. Qxc3 simply win the black knight for a pawn? No! There is a back rank mate which neither of us saw overtheboard! 24... Qxe5 25. dxe5?? Rd1+ 24. Qf4 Qd6?? A blunder. 24....Kg8 would have staved off defeat but still left White some advantage. Fritz: 24... Kg8 25. Rxh7!! Mr. Ortiz makes a smasheroo! The White Rook is immune! At this point I could have resigned. 25... Qe7 25... Qd5 26. g4 Qxa2 27. Rh8+ Ke7 28. Rxd8 Kxd8 29. Nxf7+ 26. Rh8+ Ng8 27. Ng6+ 1-0 [Art Byers and Fritz 9]