Game 23

This was the second of the two play-off games for the 2005-2006 club championship

[Event "Club Championship"]
[Date "2006.05.08"]
[White "Brownlee, Ian"]
[Black "Smalls, Jim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White Grade "1840"]
[Black Grade "1673"]



1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.Bd3 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 (Giving White an isolated queen's pawn - potentially a weak pawn) 9.Bxc4 b6 10.Qe2 Bxc3 (This gives up the two Bishops without an obviously good reason. True, White's c pawn on the half open file might prove to be a problem but no more so than the d pawn before this exchange) 11.bxc3 Qc7 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.Rac1 h6 14.Bh4 Bb7 15.Bb5 Qf4 16.Bg3 Qg4 17.Ne5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe2 19.Bxe2 Ne4 20.Bf4 Rac8 21.c4 Rc7 22.Rfd1 Rfc8 23.f3 Nc5 24.Rd4 Kf8 25.h4 Na6 26.Rcd1 Ke7 27.g4 Nb4 28.R1d2 Nc6 29.Rd6 Na5 30.h5 Nxc4 31.Bxc4 Rxc4 32.Rd7+ Ke8 33.Bxh6 (After the game the players thought that Rxb7 was better here) Bc6 (Fritz gives Bxf3 as the strongest move, picking up a pawn. If 34.Bxg7 then 34....Rxg4+ 35.Kf2 Bc6 wins) 34.Bxg7 Bxd7 35.h6 Kd8 36.h7 Kc7 37.h8Q Rxh8 38.Bxh8 (Material equality is restored, but White's Bishop is out of play) Bc6 39.Kg2 Bd5 (Overlooking Rxg4+) 40.Kg3 Rc3 41.Rf2 (Missing Rxd5, which would have turned the game around - 41...exd5 42.e6 f6 43.g5 and White has the advantage) Ra3 42.Kf4 Kd7 43.g5 Ra4+ 44.Kg3 Rxa2 45.Rf1 b5 46.Rh1 Ra3 47.Rf1 b4 48.Bf6 Rxf3+ 49.Rxf3 0-1 (After 49...Bxf3 50.Kxf3 the b pawn will Queen)