Annotated chess game

It is odd, but it is actually the best move on the board. I can find no better alternative.

Why not 11.Be2 at once? This check is intended to draw the bishop back to d7, and prevent Black's carrying out her threat. But Black has other ideas...

But it was better,I think...King safety is now shaky...

terrible, this screws up the position badly, now Black's king safety is diminished and piece mobility is severely restricted.

I reckon this is a brilliant move, for several reasons. Black certainly doesn't want to retire the very useful bishop from g4, and the only other option is 11...Ne7 12.Be2 Be7. Black is certainly not allowing herself to be trammelled by convention, and looks to creative methods.

Not bad at all! The game has really sparked into life in the last couple of moves or so. Possibly better would have been 12.Be2, but the text certainly carries the fight to the enemy, and somewhat reduces the impact of the threatened ...Bxf3.

a5 is right or a6. Black has the idea backwards. Nxc2 first and then Bxf3 was worth a look

The thing with one-two punches like this, is that it is usually a good idea to consider alternate move-orders. However, I am inclined to agree with Kenneth, and suggest this blow be withheld for the time being, and play 12...a5, instead (I think I prefer that over ...a6). But I can see the attraction of the text. Does it not force White's reply (Qxf3), allowing the black knight to take on c2 with check, then make off with the booty to f4? Otherwise 12...Nxc2ch `13.Qxc2 Bxf3 14.0-0 (yes, this is legal, as the f3-B does not interfere with the King's movement) 14... Qc8 15.Qd3! Bxh5 16.Ba3 Qe6 and a tremendous battle is going on right across the whole board.

I think I would have played 14.Kf1, heading for g2. The Black knight is headed towards d4 anyhow. Not that there is a whole lot in it...

Doesn't this look strong? But Charles is right: an exchange sacrifice would now have undermined Black's centre. Then the downside of Black's 11th move becomes after all, apparent. See my next comment.

Instead, as has already been pointed out, 15.Rxd4!! exd4 16.Nxd5ch Nxd5 17.exd5 Qc8 18.Re1ch Kd8 19.Re8ch etc. was the way to go.

15... Ng4 causes white's need to attend f2. Qc7 on the agenda...

I quite like damalfi's idea, which leads to a rough equality for Black, if not an immediate draw: 15...Ng4 16.Nd5ch Ke6 17.Nf4ch!? exf4 (or Black can offer to repeat the position by ...Ke7) 18.Qxd4. But by snapping off the more active of White bishops (...Nxb5!), Black would have been eroding White's attacking resources whilst retaining her two-pawn advantage - joined remote passed pawns, at that. One suspects that Black might have been thinking of drawing the King onto the c-file (...Nxc1; Kxc1), then bringing her heavy pieces onto that file. Or, more likely, she had it mind to draw back to c5, forking Q and R - rather a neat idea, really. But White can play out an exchange on her own terms...

After this or 16.Ba3, Black could have got a satisfactory position by 16...Nc5! White's best seems to be 16.Nd5ch! Nxd5 17.Qxb3, retaining an active game with a fair bit of pressure on Black's centre.

Nc5 is better. It's a mistake to think that one tempo gain is worth having the knight on a5

On c5, the N threatens Ra4 and puts strong pressure on e4. Then, Rc8 comes for black.

I am certain in my own mind that Black had in mind to play ...Nc5 when she played it to b3, but changed her mind when the Q went to c4. But 16...Nc5 was still the right move. Actually 16...Nxc1(!?) was worth considering as well, with the idea 17.Kxc1 a5 18.Nd5ch (say) Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Rc8ch, when it is still anyone's game.

both analyses are 2nd best because 17.Nd5+ is best

17.Nd5ch Nxd5 18.Qxd5 a6 (better than 18...Rc8 19.Ba3) 19.Be2 Ra7!

a bad move that makes 18. Nd5+ even stronger.

I'm not sure that 'another' wild swipe is fair, but this move turns out to be a very serious mistake. So far, Black has been well in the fight. If some of her moves have been inaccurate, they have at least been plausible. Better were 17...a6 or 17...Qc7.

I seem to remember that.

Good move. The raid was profitless, so the knight is drawn back into the the defence line.

yes, f4 with the attack. Nd5 here is returning to exchanging pieces w/o gaining

The reason why, in general, one would not recapture (if it can be avoided without losing material) with a pawn on d5 given that WPe4/BPe5/BPd6 constellation, is that the backward pawn can be a target for rooks on the d-file, and the hole at d5 can be a useful outpost square for a White piece (preferably a knight in most cases). There is this further consideration: the Black e-pawn is to be kept immobile, and therefore a target for the f2-f4 break, which has to come, sooner or later...

Is this counter-attacking move so bad? It looks all right to me!

the threat is easily defended here and this is another mistake, 21. Rxa5! and after that Bc4

Kenneth, sorry but I'm not convinced: 12. RxNa5!, ok, bxR, 13. Bc4, Qe8 (defending f7), 14. f4, f6. Black is not any good, true, but it seems to hold. And white is under. 15. Ba3, Rd8. I can see the following sequence for white's win, though: 16. Qb7+. If Rd7, 17. Bxd6+!, Kxd6 (only), 18. fxe5+, ...but I'm not sure white will win this!

21.Rxa5 bxa5 22.Bc4 Qc7! and now: [A] 23.Qxa8 Qxc4 24.Re1 g5 25.hxg6e.p. fxg6 and Black seems to be coming back into the game: [B] 23.Qxf7ch Kd8 24.Qd5 Rb8; [C] 23. f4 Rc8 24. Qxf7+ Kd8 25. Qxc7+ Rxc7 26. Bxa6 Be7 27. fxe5 dxe5. In all these lines, Black seems at least to be holding her own.