Annotated chess game

Maybe Qb6 for black was better. c4 in a near future blocks forever the bishop on a2.

I'm inclined to agree with damalfi. Mind you, White might still have played 12.e5. But the move played will leave Black with an isolated pawn on e6 - not usually a sign of a healthy position.

Ups! I didn't read it  

Piles up on the black lsb on d7. You are also threatening a nasty discovered attack on the queen (Ng6 attacking the rook on h8 and defending the bishop on f4 looks very nasty indeed).

All this would be avoided with Qb6.

Well, I guessed wrong here, right enough, and yet I still prefer the bishop capture. This is not entirely due, either, to this trappy possibility: 13.Bxd5 Qd6 14.Qe2 Qxb2?? 15.Nd5! White can make use of the time to castle - long for preference - and bring the rooks rapidly into action in the centre.

He had to prevent that discovered attack in my note above.

Instead of 13...Bd6, let's look at the unlikely 13...Nc6!? Now, 14.Ng6 e5 15.Nxh8. Black will have lost the Exchange, but retains a fairly active position. It's the sort of thing I would try, but my results lately with such enterprises have been pretty dismal, to say the least.

Nxf6.

A strategic win for white. Now black has to be worried about Qh5+, and it has nothing better that to force a queen's exchange so to slow down the game... and hope to hold the endgame.

My guess was 16.Qh5ch, with the idea of picking up the pawn at c5. Black would then be left with just as broken a pawn structure, but White would have gained a majority on the Q-side as well.

Surely after 16. Qh5ch Black just plays Ke7 and all his pawns are protected?

Qe2

I guessed 16...Qe7 for Black, with White responding 17.Qh5ch. As the check is not possible after the move played only one other comes into consideration.

Whoa! All of a sudden, I don't like White's game at all! Black's 17...Qe5ch deserves an exclam. He's got a highly centralised and active game going now...

His Knight can't reach d4 surely?

A mistake, and just having got himself out of the woods, too. The right move was 17...Nd4!, with this in mind: 18.Qxe5 Bxe5 19.Bb3 c4! 20.Bxc4 Nxc2ch 21.Kd2 Nxa1 22.Rxa1 0-0-0ch and Black has the edge. RESPONSE: Don't tell me I had the position all wrong. Again. Damn.

King because the b2 pawn is hanging.

How about 18...Nd4!? H'mmm same problem.

Correction, the knight, in retreating to d1, defends that b2 pawn!

Mind you, after the K move, the b-pawn is not under attack. I like the K move, too.

Ba2.

Aha, Bd5 is OK here because the BQ is now pinned to the BK.

There's not really a lot in it. All three options left White with the edge.

Ba2 now surely.

Why is white holding the queens? He has a pawn more, and by changing them a won endgame, since 2 black's pawns are isolated. All this is keeping alive hopes for black.

The reason for White's withholding the Q exchange is that he can play it any time he likes (as indeed can Black for that matter). In general, if you have a good move (e.g. win of material) available that your opponent can not prevent, then keep it back for a more propitious moment. Of course, once the enemy plays something that will allow him to get out of the situation, then play the move. The idea is to get the opponent to spend time trying to escape.

Qxe5 now.

I guess White has to decide how he feels about entering this rook ending: 22.Qxe5ch Bxe5! 23.Bxc6 Bxc3ch 24.bxc3 bxc3 25.Ke2