Annotated chess game

0-0 as white has not moved his king.

Losing a valuable piece, but giving black a horrible pawn structure.

A bit surprising. Maybe Black is hoping the minor exchange (B for N) on an open board will give him counterplay sufficient to compensate for the pawn minus and broken formation. For mine, I would have gone in for the rook ending after 23...Bxc3, and hoped for the best.

Why castling? The white king is likely better placed in the center for an endgame. And white has to prevent weaknesses on his queenside, so he has to worry about holding the pawn structure - his major advantage - intact. He can't, but he can force black to exchange the dsb with g3 - f4 (otherwise, b3 and white's completely out of troubles).

For mine, 24.Nd1 is the obvious move to preserve the Q-side pawn formation. After 24.Nd1 Rb8 25.c3, Black has just one point of attack available to him: b2. Let's see what might happen: 25... Bf4 26.Ke2! Bc1 27.Kd3 Bxb2 (It's now or never, but now the bishop is trapped behind enemy lines). 28.Ne3!! Rb3 29.Kc2! (Also good is 29.Rb1) 29...c4. Now, what should White play? Black's pieces are so committed he can't back out. White would like to play Nxc4, but ...Rxc3ch neutralises that threat. OK, how to protect the c-pawn? There is a way, and there's not a blind thing Black can do about it: 30.h4!! Ke6 (say) 31.Rh3. With the threat of 32.Nxc4 hanging over him Black will have to give up the bishop: 31...Rxc3ch 32.Kxb2 Rb3ch 33.Kc2

Was Bxc3 better here?

Not really. Black's game has become very active, and it's hard to go past a rook on the seventh! White's next is forced, pretty much.

Ne4.

I see, this move saves the b2 pawn.

c3.

I'd go with Jo on this.

Now, the sages will tell you that this is a dum&ass idea, but I agree that circumstances alter cases. Black is relying on the Bishop's edge in mobility to keep him in the game; so White plans to shut the bishop out of the game. A great plan. Not everyone would think of that!

hmm, reminds me of my game, the Long Lost Battle against an Expert called Leo-London - I did something like that. gameknot.com

c3 in order to prepare Ne3+ perhaps?

I think Jo's 30.c3 just as good, but the text move does challenge Black's alertness.

it was difficult to see that the Rd2 plan wasn't the good one so many moves ago. I am lazy to analyze if Rb8 instead could have given more to black.

I don't think it would have done. Check out my comment to move 24.

By exchanging rooks, I would say that the extra white pawn is compensated by the bishop - against - knight - with - pawns - on - both - sides theory rule  

Much depends upon the number of pawns. White will, if fact, want to exchange pawns sooner or later (supposing he can't win them for nothing), in order to create a passer. The number of pawns tends to write down the bishop, too, by restricting, as White is planning, the prelate's perambulations.