[Event "15th Foxwoods Open"] [Site "Ledyard USA"] [Date "2023.04.08"] [Round "6"] [White "Benjamin, Joel"] [Black "Hardaway, Brewington"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2498"] [BlackElo "2363"] [Annotator "gmjoel"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C73"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Modern Steinitz Defense"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/XyszyEs5/yKielMMN"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 c5 8. Nc6 Qd7 9. Na5 Qa4 10. Qd5 Rb8 11. Qc6+ Qxc6 12. Nxc6 Rb6 13. Na5 f5 14. f3 fxe4 15. fxe4 Be6 16. Nc3 Ne7 17. b3 g6 18. Bb2 Bg7 19. O-O-O O-O 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. exd5 Rbb8 23. Rhe1 Rbe8 24. Re2 Nf5 25. Rde1 Rxe2 26. Rxe2 h5 27. Nc6 g5 { The engine says Black is okay here but I have big potential on the queenside, something I wouldn’t have had if Brewington had swapped on d5 with the knight. I was proud of my next idea, setting up a potentially decisive pawn breakthrough. } 28. a4! h4 29. a5 Kh6? 30. Rf2 Kg7 { This was played reluctantly but wisely. I had calculated a beautiful win in a pawn ending (that is my jam, you know) with } (30... g4 31. Ne7 Kg5 32. c3 Rf7 33. Rxf5+ Rxf5 34. Nxf5 Kxf5 35. b4 cxb4 36. cxb4 Ke5 37. b5 Kxd5 38. bxa6 Kc6 39. g3 { and White queens as soon as Black runs out of pawn moves. }) 31. Kd2 Kf6 32. c3 Re8 33. Re2 Rg8 34. Re6+ Kf7 35. Kd3?! { The problem is I need five reasonably accurate moves to reach the time control without ruining anything. I started to get sidetracked and waste precious tempi. After 35. b4! White will soon have a decisive passed a-pawn. } 35... h3 36. g4 Nh4 37. Ke4?? { Dominating the knight — but it’s the rook I should be worried about! 37. b4 preserves a winning advantage. } 37... Rf8! { The win is gone, as Black finds big counterplay just in time. } 38. Re7+ Kg6 39. Re6+ Kg7 40. Re7+ Kg6 41. Re6+ Kg7 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2