[Event "13TH ANNUAL DES MOINES FALL CLASSIC"] [Date "2022.12.19"] [Round "2"] [White "Holliman, Bob"] [Black "Elam, CJ"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2204"] [BlackElo "1551"] [BlackTeam "US"] [Annotator "Elam, CJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "A40"] [Opening "Horwitz Defense"] [StudyName "FIDE chess in the midwest"] [ChapterName "Holliman, Bob - Elam, CJ"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/Kvfo9Uhx/6ytsN7UD"] [Orientation "white"] { I was happy to get a draw in the first round against a higher rated opponent but not as excited to be playing a 2200 in the second round, especially as black. } 1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 { I mainly play the Nimzo Indian, but I don't have that option when they don't play c2-c4. } 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 Be7 5. h3 O-O 6. Bc4 d5 7. Bb3 Ne4 8. Nbd2 Nd7 9. Nxe4 fxe4 { I like this pawn structure because of the amount of space I have as well as the open f-file. } 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 Bh4 { I was trying to provoke g2-g3 or make him commit to castling kingside } 12. O-O Bf6 13. Bh2 c6 14. c3 Kh8 { I wanted to play for the ...e7-e5 break, but realized White had a tactic involving capturing the d5-pawn with check. } (14... Qe7 15. Re1 e5? 16. dxe5 Bxe5 17. Bxd5+ cxd5 18. Qxd5+ { This is the line that made me prepare ...e7-e5 with ...Kg8-h8. }) 15. f3 exf3 16. Rxf3 Qe7 17. Qd3 Bd7 18. Bc2 g6 19. Raf1 Kg8 { Now that White's bishop has left the a2-g8 diagonal, the king does not have to fear tactics after Black pushes ...e7-e5. } 20. e4 e5? { [Black is playing with fire here, opening the center when White has slightly more active pieces. It turns out that White had a more accurate move order that could have punished Black's energetic play. -JJL] } 21. dxe5 (21. exd5! { [White missed the more accurate variation beginning with this capture.] } 21... cxd5 (21... exd4 22. d6! { [Now, White has a devastating tactic. The king will be forced back to the h8-square, and White's bishop pair will go to work.] } 22... Qg7 23. Bb3+ Kh8 24. Rxf6 Rxf6 25. Rxf6 Qxf6 26. cxd4) 22. dxe5 { [Now, White is immediately prepared to play Qd3-xd5+.] }) 21... Bxe5 22. exd5 Rxf3? { [Black's rook is protected where it is, so this is not necessary. And after the proper recapture, White has more tactical chances.] } (22... Bxh2+! 23. Kxh2 Bf5 24. Qd2 Bxc2 25. Qxc2 Qd6+ 26. Kg1 Qxd5) 23. Rxf3? (23. Qxf3! Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qd6+ 25. Kg1 cxd5? (25... Qxd5?? 26. Bb3) 26. Qf7+ Kh8 27. Bxg6! hxg6 28. Rf4! { [This variation contains an important lesson. Clearly, seeing this whole sequence is difficult, probably too difficult to expect Black to find. But it was not difficult to see that, after Qd3-xf3, White had pressure on the f7-square, whereas before this capture, White did not have this line of attack. So, why make a capture that results in a position that requires seeing this far into the future?] }) 23... Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qd6+ 25. Kh1 cxd5? { [Black was in a hurry to regain the pawn, and invites play against the new weakness.] } (25... Bf5! { [The logic goes as follows: Black does not want to recapture with the c-pawn, as the isolated d-pawn is a weakness. But Black cannot take with the queen, because of the pin. So, any variation that trades off the light-squared bishop, which was doing the pinning, would allow Black to make the capture they wanted.] } 26. Qd2 (26. Rxf5 gxf5 27. Qxf5)) 26. Bb3 Bc6 27. Qd4 Re8 28. Kg1 Qe5 29. Qxa7 { In a hurry to trade pieces, I missed that this pawn was hanging. } 29... Qd6 30. Qd4 Re5 31. c4 Re2 32. cxd5 Bb5 { [Black sets up a tactic.] } 33. Rf6? Re1+ { [Another lesson! No matter how close one's position is to winning, it is necessary to ask why the opponent made their last move. Here, the coverage of the f1-square is fatal.] } 0-1