Did a fairly decent job of taking my time this game. Definitely some mistakes made, but I was actively looking for his threats all game and I think I did an okay job. The fact that I drew a 1443-rated player without luck or blunders is a great sign that I've improved, even with so very, very far to go.
I haven't been happy with Crafty's analysis, so I acquired some real analyzing power: Fritz 11. We'll see what it can do eventually, but I'm having trouble getting it to work for this game. Update: It's working, but it takes awhile and seems to be working backwards from the end to the beginning
[Event "ICC"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2009.09.23"]
[White "KyleMayhugh"]
[Black "dubltrubl"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "1366"]
[BlackElo "1443"]
[ECO "D85"]
[Opening "Grunfeld"]
[Variation "Exchange variation"]
[TimeControl "1800+10"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nxd5 Qxd5
(5. e4 is the recommended move here, for the Grunfeld Exchange Variation, according to MCO.)
6. Nf3 Bg7 7. e3 O-O 8. Qc2 Bf5
Okay, I've had a lot of problems lately with taking the pawn in the opening and wishing I hadn't. Fundamental philosophical question: Should I make the move that is considered correct for this position, or the one that will make me, personally and right now, most likely to win? If I keep losing up a pawn but behind in development, should I still take the pawn because it's considered better? I'm going with yes. I'd rather not create new holes in my game by trying to cover up old ones when I could just fix the old ones.
I tried long and hard to figure out if he was threatening something here, but I didn't see anything.
Something I am getting from trying use Fritz: The first 15 ply, through 8. Qc2, were mirrored exactly in a game between two Experts (or Candidate Masters) at the 37th Chess Olmpiad in 2006. The game can be seen here:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1414257
Black's reply was 8. Qc2 c5 in that game, and black went on to win after exchanging his queen for several pieces.
9. Qxc7 Na6
Fritz recommends taking the e-pawn instead. 10. Bxa6 bxa6
The first move I wish I'd taken longer on. This was a minute-think piece push.
I'm thinking maybe Bc4 instead, or at the very least Qc4.
11. Qc5 Qxc5
I isolate the pawn and make it impossible to protect, but I also catch up a little in development. With him holding the bishop pair in powerful spots, I need to do something.
12. dxc5 Rfc8
Now I'm down a pawn, but the e-pawn looks very juicy right now and I think I can catch up.
13. O-O Rxc5
14. Bd2 Bxb2 15. Bb4 Bxa1
16. Bxc5 Bf6
I'm beginning to see the power of the bishop pair. His well-placed bishops are giving me all kinds of headaches, but my knight which is supposedly an equal piece to either of them is out of the action and several moves from doing anything useful.
17. Rd1 Rb8 18. g3 Rb1
I'm suspicious of that pawn he's offering me and really need to fix my back rank problems.
19. Rxb1 Bxb1 20. Bxa7 Bxa2
21. Nd4 Bxd4 22. exd4 e6
I think this was a big mistake on white's part. Up a pawn, you want to exchange down in general, but he lost the bishop pair, traded a dominating piece for a weak one, and found himself in the uberdrawish opposite-colored-bishops ending. The only big mistake I can see from him in this game.
23. Kf1 Kf8 24. Ke2 Ke7 25. Ke3 Kd6
26. Kd3 Kd5 27. Kc3?? Bc4
This was a blunder from me, I believe. If he had responded with 27. ... Ke4, the game is probably over as he sneaks back there and rips apart my pawns. I realized it soon after I made the move. I'm playing for the draw down a pawn, I needed to try to maintain opposition and certainly not let his king sneak toward my pawns.
28. f3 Be2 29. f4 h5 30. Kd2 Bb5
31. Ke3 Bc6 32. Bc5 Kc4 33. Kd2 a5 34. Kc2 a4 35. Kb2 Bd5
36. Ka3 Kd3 37. h3 Ke3 38. Bb4 Kxd4 39. Kxa4 Ke4
Plan now is to use the bishop to protect the back of my pawns.
40. Bd2 Kf3
41. Be1 f6 42. Kb4 g5 43. fxg5 fxg5 44. Kc5 Kg2
45. h4 gxh4
46. gxh4 Kf3
Another huge moment: this exchange needed to happen on the h-file and not the g-file, or else my bishop wouldn't have had space to move away from the king's attacks and still protect the remaining pawn on that side.
From here, I believe the blockade is set and there was no way for him to win. I could be wrong though.
Fritz confirms that 42. ... h4 wins for black, most likely, but this move equalizes the game.
47. Kd4 Kf4 48. Bd2+ Kf5 49. Be1 Ba2 50. Bg3 Kg4
51. Be1 Bb1 52. Ke5 Bf5 53. Kd4 Kf3 54. Ke5 Bg4 55. Kd4 Ke2
56. Bg3 Kf3 57. Be1 Ke2 58. Bg3 Kf3 59. Be1
1/2-1/2
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