Cross,Ted (1991) -
Johnson,Daijah (1441) [B32]
Old Fort Bay Invitational Nassau (4), 04.03.2018
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6
3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 a6 7.N5c3 Nf6 8.Bg5?! See, already I show that I don't know this position. My move takes it from a standard minimal white edge to a tiny black edge. [8.Be2]
8...Be7 9.Na3?!
And I follow up my last poor move by overlooking a tactical idea. Lucky for me she didn't see it either.
9...0-0
[9...Nxe4! 10.Bxe7 Nxc3 11.Bxd8 Nxd1 12.Rxd1 Kxd8 13.Rxd6+ Ke7 14.Rd2=/+]
10.Nc2?!
I spent a lot of this opening making substandard moves! Not a good plan against a lower-rated opponent that I really need to beat. [>=10.Bxf6 Bxf6=]
10...Be6
Again the Ne4 tactic was available and again we both missed it. [10...Nxe4! 11.Bxe7 Nxc3 12.Bxd8 Nxd1 13.Bc7 Nxb2 14.Bxd6 Rd8 15.c5-/+]
11.Ne3?!
My fourth poor move in a row. [11.Bd3=]
11...h6
[11...Nxe4 12.Bxe7 Nxc3 13.Qxd6 Nxe7 14.Qxd8 Rfxd8 15.bxc3-/+]
12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Ncd5 Bxd5 14.exd5?!
Another bad move gives black a solid edge. [>=14.Nxd5 Qa5+ 15.Qd2=]
14...Nd4 15.Nc2??
I was simply oblivious to the Qa5 tactics, though I saw them right as I took my hand off the knight, and I knew I was in trouble and would be lucky not to lose the game. [15.Bd3 Qa5+ 16.Qd2 Qxd2+ 17.Kxd2=/+]
15...Nxc2+?
What huge relief! I felt like I had a new lease on life. [15...Qa5+ 16.b4 Nxc2+ 17.Qxc2 Qxb4+ 18.Qd2 a5-+]
16.Qxc2 Rc8
This slight inaccuracy on her part drops her advantage from significant to a small one. [>=16...e4 17.Rb1 Rc8 18.Be2 Qa5+ 19.Qd2 Qxa2 20.0-0-/+]
17.Bd3?!
[17.Be2=/+]
17...b5 18.0-0 g6?!
[18...e4 19.Be2 Qa5-/+]
19.Qe2 bxc4 20.Bxc4 a5 21.Rac1 Bg7 22.Bb5 Qb6 23.a4 Rc5 24.Bc6 e4 25.Qxe4 Qxb2 26.Rxc5 dxc5 27.d6 Qe5 28.d7
I still had my chances to win this game, but it involved playing highly accurate move orders, which given how poorly I had been playing so far was not something very likely to happen. [>=28.Qxe5 Bxe5 29.d7 Rb8 30.Bb5 Bf6 31.Re1 Kg7 32.Re8 Rd8 33.Kf1 c4 34.Ke2 h5 35.f4 Kh6 36.g3 c3 37.Kd3 g5 38.Re4 gxf4 39.Rxf4 Kg7 40.Rf5 h4 41.g4 Rh8 42.h3 Kg6 43.Kc2 Kg7 44.g5 Bd8 45.Kxc3+-]
28...Qxe4 29.Bxe4 Bf6 30.Bc6 c4 31.Rc1
And once again another long computer line that supposedly wins for me. [31.Re1 c3 32.Bb5 Rd8 33.Kf1 h5 34.Re8+ Kg7 35.Ke2 Kh6 36.Kd3 Kg5 37.g3 h4 38.Re4 hxg3 39.fxg3 Kh6 40.Rc4 Kg7 41.h4 Kf8 42.Ke4 Ke7 43.Kd5 Kf8 44.Kd6 Be7+ 45.Kc7 Bf6 46.g4+-]
31...Rb8 32.Bb5 c3 33.Kf1
And again. [33.Re1 Kg7 34.Re8 Rd8 35.Re4 Rb8 36.Rc4 Rd8 37.g3 g5 38.Kg2 Kg6 39.g4 h5 40.h3 hxg4 41.hxg4 Kg7 42.Kf3 Rh8 43.Ke2 Rd8 44.Rc8 Kf8 45.Kd3 Ke7 46.Ke4 Ke6 47.Rc6+ Ke7 48.Rc5 Ke6 49.Rc8 Ke7 50.Kf5+-]
33...Kf8 34.Ke2
And one final time before it turns into a dead draw. [34.Re1 Be7 35.Re2 g5 36.g4 Rd8 37.Ke1 Bf6 38.h3 Kg8 39.Re8+ Kg7 40.Ke2 h5 41.Kd3 Kg6 42.Kc2 Kh6 43.Re4 Kg6 44.Rc4 hxg4 45.hxg4 Kg7 46.Rc8 Rh8 47.Kb3 Rd8 48.f3 Kf8 49.Kc4 Ke7 50.Kd5 Bg7 51.Ke4 Bf6 52.Kf5 Bg7 53.Rc4 Bh8 54.Kxg5+-]
34...Ke7 35.Kd3 Rb6 36.Re1+ Re6 37.Rxe6+ Kxe6 38.Bc4+ Ke7 39.d8Q+ Kxd8 40.Bxf7 g5 41.Bb3 Kc7 42.Kc4 Kc6 43.Bc2 Be5 44.Be4+ Kb6 45.h3 h5 46.g3 h4 47.gxh4 gxh4 48.Kd5 Bg7 49.f4 Kc7 50.Ke6 Kb6 51.f5 Kc5 52.f6 Bf8 53.Bc2 Kb4 54.Kd5 Ka3 55.Kc4 Kb2 56.Kd3 Bd6 57.Bd1 1/2-1/2
On the one hand, it was a relief to not lose this after playing so terribly, but it was also a big let down to draw against the lowest player in the field, and one so many rating points lower than me. I was hoping to start regaining lost rating points, and this dealt a crushing blow to that hope.
After this stinging rebuke, my reward was to have black against the Bahamas' best player, FM Cecil 'Carver' Moncur. I had lost with black each time I had played him in the past, so I was feeling determined but not very confident.
Moncur,FM Cecil
(1901) - Cross,Ted (1991) [A88]
Old Fort Bay Invitational Nassau (5), 04.03.2018
1.d4 f5 I changed up the opening, having played a Queen's Gambit each of the first two times I had played black against Carver.
2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 d6 7.0-0 c6 8.c4 a5 9.Nc3 Qc7 10.Rc1 Na6 11.d5 e5
Nothing wrong with my move. Nc5 is just another good alternative. [11...Nc5]
12.dxe6 Bxe6 13.Ng5 Bc8 14.e3 h6 15.Nf3 Nc5 16.Nh4 g5 17.Nf3 Nfe4
While there may be nothing technically wrong with white's plan over the past few moves, I was happy that he allowed me to expand on the kingside. Yes, it could turn out badly for me as it weakens my king's position, yet this attack against the kingside often represents black's only real chance to play for a win in this opening, barring white allowing a tactic along the long bishop diagonal.
18.Qc2 Nxc3 19.Bxc3 Ne4 [19...Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Qg7 21.Qd2 Rf6 22.Nd4 f4 23.exf4 gxf4 24.Kh1 fxg3 25.fxg3 Bd7+/=] 20.Bxg7 Qxg7
This next phase of the game revolves around black trying not to lose the weak d6 pawn while trying to find a way to play f4.
21.Rfd1 Bd7 22.Nd4 Rae8 23.Ne2 Rf6 24.Nc3 Nc5 25.Rd4?!
White falters at last, and I'm proud that I realized it and played correctly. [25.a3+/=]
25...f4!
26.exf4 gxf4 27.Qd1
White makes things worse by placing his queen on the back rank with his king. [>=27.Qd2 f3 28.Bf1 Qe7 (28...Qg5) 29.Rd1 Kg7 30.Qb2 (30.Rxd6? Qxd6 31.Qxd6 Rxd6 32.Rxd6 Re1 33.Rd1 Rxd1 34.Nxd1 Bf5 35.h4 Bc2 36.Nc3 Kf6=/+) 30...Bf5 31.a3 Qe5=
; 27.Rxf4? Rxf4 28.gxf4 Bh3 29.f3 Nd3!]
27...f3
[27...fxg3 28.hxg3 Ref8 29.Rc2=]
28.Bh1??
But here is the move that lost the game for white. He was hoping to collect the pawn on f3, but his bishop simply had to come to f1 to stop the coming tactics. [28.Bf1 Qg5 29.h4 Qe5 30.Qd2=]
28...Rfe6 29.Ne4 Nxe4 30.Bxf3 Nxg3!
My move is definitely the human move and is just fine. The computer tactics just make my mind whirl. [30...Ng5 31.Rd3 Qb2 32.Kf1 Rf6 33.g4 Bxg4-+]
31.Rg4 Re1+ 32.Kg2 Bxg4 33.Qxd6 Bxf3+ 34.Kxf3 Rf8+ 35.Kg2 0-1
This was the best feeling, finally getting a win with black against my main rival. I now sat in first place with three and a half from four, with just the one blip of a draw that I should never have given up. I finished the first weekend quite happy with my performance.
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