I thought I'd share this game from the Swedish division 3 played only a few hours ago. Unfortunately I didn't play very well. In fact, I dropped off a pawn for no apparent reason. First time I can remember dropping material in a slow game for some time now. I managed to stir up some slight complications and was very lucky to escape with a draw in the end.
I was white against a 1911 ELO on board 2 (of 8). Time control is 40 moves in 2 hours then another hour for the rest of the game.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6
While I get this in 10 minute games all the time I believe it's the first time I face this opening with this kind of time control.
4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bd7 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3
Bc4 might look superficially more active but I didn't see a way to prevent d5 forcing it to move again. Something like Nf6, 0-0, d5. Besides, if given the chance I would like to play c4 restricting his center.
7...Nf6 8. O-O Be7 9. c4 O-O 10. Nc3 Rb8 11. b3 Re8 12. f3
The first questionable move. This is probably too slow. I was thinking it prevented Ng4-e5 but of course he gets his knight there anyway.
12...Be6 13. Bb2 Nd7 14. Qc2 Ne5 15. Rad1 Qc8
I'm thinking I want to play f4 at some point. (Which is an indicator f3 was not a good move.) While my white squared bishop isn't that great at the moment since I could save it I decided to do so. Since I have more terrain it makes sense to prevent black from untangling his pieces somewhat, I can exchange it for his knight if he goes to g4 after I play f4 and not giving him the chance to swap it off creates a tactical possiblility.
16. Be2 Qb7 17. h3
This move might look a bit odd but there is a point behind it. It takes away the g4-square from the knight after I have played f4. That might not sound like much at first but as you might notice it actually now threatens to win a piece with f4. If Nd7 the bishop is lost after f5, if Ng6 f5 is a fork and there are no other safe squares to go to. Black can throw in a check if he wants to but then I figured he would have to deal with the threat and it's not immediately clear where to place that knight.
Unfortunately I had somehow missed a square and my position collapsed immediately from what I considered great to losing in one move.
17...Nxc4
Black does not have to retreat with his knight after all. I rarely miss this sort of thing in 3 hour games but there you go. In a normal game I might even have resigned here but certainly not in a team game. (The point being of course that Bxc4, Bxc4, bxc4 now the bishop on b2 is hanging with Qxb2 and I lose a pawn.)
18. Bxc4 Bxc4
My bishop was pretty bad and his knight was threatning all sorts of havoc. While you generally want to avid trades when behind this one was neccessary.
19. Rf2 Be6
I was very happy he didn't stay on the a6-f1 diagonal with Ba6. Still losing but not as badly as I feared.
20. Kh1 Bf6 21. f4 Qb4 22. Re2 Bc8
Quite okay move I'm sure but it does interfere with the rooks on the back rank and creates some complications.
23. e5
For example, taking 3 times on e5 is not possible now due to the back rank mate.
23...dxe5
I thought about fxe5 and maybe that's okay. His extra pawn would be doubled but I thought his position was still much superior with the bishop pair and the light squared bishop comming to the long diagonal. In the end I went with more complications.
24. Ne4
If the bishop moves I can perhaps play Bxe5. Things might not look so bad.
24...Bb7
Interesting move. I considered Nc5 and/or fxe5. I saw nothing better than taking the bishop.
25. Nxf6+ gxf6 26. fxe5
Here I actually thought I might no be losing anymore. Threats like Rd4 or Re4 followed by Rh4 and/or Rg4 looked good for me. Unfortunately he found a move to stop both those rook moves.
26...c5 27. exf6 Kh8
While his back rank is weak my bisop is out of play and his counter chances are very dangerous. I still don't know if Re7 is something here but I couldn't make it work in the time I had (20 minutes for 13 moves).
28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Qe2 Rg8 30. Rg1 Qh4 31. Qe3 Bc6 32. Kh2 Re8 33. Qxc5
Maybe Qd2 or something holding f4 was better.
33...Qf4+ 34. Kh1 Bxg2+ 35. Rxg2 Re1+
Unfortunately for me the sacriface was good. Rg1 leads to a quick mate so I have no choice but to give the queen.
36. Qg1 Rxg1+ 37. Kxg1 h5 38. Ba3 c5 39. Bb2 a5 40. Kh1 c4
With the clock on the verge of running out I complete my 40th move and get another hour. He had more time than I did but made a mistake on his 40th move. After a4 his passed pawn would decide the game with ease. But after c4 things are not quite so easy.
41. bxc4 Qxc4 42. a3 Qf4 43. Kg1 Qe3+ 44. Kh2 Qf4+ 45. Kg1 Qe3+ 46. Kh2 Qf4+ 47. Kg1
He took the perpetual checks for a draw. I'm not sure if there is a win for black here. I would tend to think there is somehow but it's not that easy to figure out without a computer. In any case, this draw was enough to secure a draw in the match, 4-4.
Game without comments
. 2000 doesn't look too far off now!
) OTB tournament games lately, I haven't had a chance to put most of them into PGN format though, may be awhile but I'll post some of the better ones when I do. I broke 1800 USCF today 
), Master is 2200. Still quite a ways away but a goal. 
Good spot!
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