Old Fort Bay Invitational 2018 part 4

The next game ended up not really being a game. I was playing black against a player who was doing well in the event, having gone undefeated through the first eight rounds. I knew if I pushed I could probably win, but was it worth the effort when I could seal up first place without really risking anything? It was the third round of the day also. Two games in a day is tiring, but three is exhausting. I figured it could be better for the next day to get some rest.

Hanna Jr.,Philip (1699) - Cross,Ted (1991) [C10]
Old Fort Bay Invitational Nassau (9), 10.03.2018

1.e4 e6 
I almost never player the French, having done so just once previously, but I wanted to avoid any preparation on his part.
2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Bd3 c5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 Qb6?! [10...b6 11.Qe2 Bb7 12.Rad1 Qc7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Be4 Rfd8 15.Bxb7 Qxb7=]
Up to his last move I had looked at all this in my preparation, but here I forgot the proper move and got it mixed up with a different line. I figured I hadn't played correctly, so I took this moment to offer the draw.
1/2-1/2


I knew I would push for a win in the next game, since it was my last with white. My opponent was the current Bahamas national champion, so he wouldn't be easy to beat.

Cross,Ted (1991) - Small,Byron (1712) [C55]
Old Fort Bay Invitational Nassau (10), 11.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Be7 5.0-0 d6 6.h3 Na5 7.Bb3 Nxb3 8.axb3 h6 9.Re1 0-0 10.d4 exd4 11.Qxd4 a6 12.Nc3 c6 13.Bf4 Be6 14.Re2 d5 
I really dislike these types of positions. I find it difficult to come up with a good plan. It's hard to win these kinds of games...you have to be really patient and wait for your opponent to blunder, or perhaps even take risks in order to play for a win.
15.Rae1?! 
[15.exd5 Nxd5 16.Nxd5=]
15...Re8 
[>=15...c5 16.Qd1 d4 17.Rd2 Qb6 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.exd5 Nxd5=/+]
16.exd5 cxd5 17.Ne5 Rc8 18.Nd3 Qd7 19.Bh2 Bf5 20.Nf4?! 
[20.Bg3=]
20...Bd6?! 
[>=20...Bc5 21.Qd2 Rxe2 22.Rxe2 d4 23.Na2 Ne4 24.Qe1 Bd6 25.Nd3=/+]
21.Nfxd5 Bxh2+?! 
[>=21...Nxd5 22.Nxd5 Rxe2 23.Rxe2 Rxc2 24.Rxc2 Bxc2 25.Nf6+ gxf6 26.Bxd6=]
22.Kxh2 Nxd5 23.Nxd5 Rxe2 24.Rxe2 Re8 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.c4 Qe4 27.Qxe4 Bxe4 
Okay, so I come to an endgame up a pawn, but it isn't so simple to actually win it.
28.Ne3 f5 29.f3 Bd3 30.g3 Kf7 31.b4 Ke6 32.f4 g5 33.Kg2 gxf4 34.gxf4 Kf6 35.Kg3 Kf7 36.c5 Ke6 37.Kf3 Kf7 38.h4 h5? 
I breathed a sigh of relief here. I needed to bring my king over to the queen side if I wanted to make progress, but I was afraid to do so while he had a path with his king through h5 to attack my kingside pawns. With this mistake he sealed off that route and freed up my king to roam.
39.Kf2 Ke6 40.Ke1 Be4 41.Kd2 Kd7 42.Kc3 Kc6 43.Kd4 
[43.Nc4!? Kd5 44.Nd6+-]
43...Kb5 44.Kc3? 
[44.Nc4 Kxb4 45.Nd6 Bc2 46.Nxb7 Kb5 47.Nd6+ Kc6 48.b4+-]
44...b6 45.Nc4?? 
I struggled to see the tactics correctly here, and this mistake could have cost me the win. [45.Kd4! Kxb4 (45...bxc5+ 46.bxc5 Kc6 47.Ke5 Kxc5 48.Nxf5+-) 46.cxb6 Ka5 47.Nxf5 Bf3 48.Kc5+-]
45...bxc5 46.Nd6+ Kc6 47.Nxe4 fxe4 48.bxc5 Kxc5 49.f5 Kd5 50.f6 Ke6 51.Kd4 Kxf6 52.Kxe4 Ke6?? 
All of this was pretty much forced, and here he could have drawn with the simple a5.[52...a5=] 
53.Kf4 Kf6 54.b4 Kg6 55.Ke5 Kg7 56.Kf5 Kh6 57.Kf6 Kh7 58.Kg5 Kg7 59.Kxh5 Kh7 60.Kg5 Kg7 61.Kf5 1-0

So, I was fortunate to get that last necessary victory and I knew I had first place sealed up now. So the only question in the final round was whether my opponent would want to fight it out or not, because I didn't need to.

Gibson,Franklyn (1900) - Cross,Ted (1991) [A36]
Old Fort Bay Invitational Nassau (11), 11.03.2018

1.c4 g6 2.g3 Bg7 3.Bg2 c5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.d3 Nf6 6.e4 d6 7.Nge2 0-0 8.0-0 e5 9.h3 Nd4 10.f4 Ne8 1/2-1/2

And so that wrapped it up. I scored an undefeated eight points from ten and won first place for the second year in a row.