Annotated chess game

slightly better might have been 21.Nc3, inviting Black to exchange queens in his own time.

22.Nc3, but it would have been better a move earlier.

My opponent says " I take the point that Nd2 was bad. The idea, such as it was, was to follow it with Nb3, attacking the pawn on b5 and also d4 if 22 .... d4."

Most unpleasant.

(!) A fine decoy, and a neat tactical finish late in the middle game. White is for sure busted now.

My opponent comments "23... Bg5 The move I was expecting and dreading was Bh4. If 24. g3, Rxe3 25. gxh4 Nf2+ winning the rook, or 24. Bg1 Re1 forcing the exchange of rooks.

He also says "24. Bg2 The Bishop must stay on a7-g1 diagonal to prevent the knight fork. Maybe Bb6 would be better, threatening a5. If then 24... Bxd2 25. Rxe2 Re1+ and the Bishop has to come back to g1. The white rook now attacks the Nd3 and protects f2 (which is just as well, else Nf2+ would be a smothered mate!), but 26... Nb4 extricates the knight and defends d5. No doubt this would not delay the end by much, but if I'm not going resign here it would at least be a little more combative."

Moves like this just leap to the eye. White has no worthwhile play.

Pat says "no doubt I should have had the grace to resign, but I have seen (what seemed to me) the most unlikely-looking endgames drawn. In this case, and in my ignorance, I thought my king and bishop had a tiny chance of building a fortress. In any case I thought I would see how a strong player would finish it off."

Very nice game,Charles,and some moves I never thought!Thanks!

A strangulating end game. I think I would have played 35...b5, myself, but that is simply another approach among many possible. Here White is in a straightforward 'zugzwang' and must permit Black's King to infiltrate his position (43.Bg3 Kb4; or 43.K-any Kc4).

Pat says "In fact I think it was instructive to see how you played the endgame, in particular how you made your bishop dominate mine, after which your king can penetrate my position. After 42... Be3 I had seen enough! Thanks again for the review." Many thanks to you all!