Standard game, Sept. 9 2009 part 2

I may be wanted for robbery after this one. The thing about players at my level is that we are much better attackers than we are defenders of attacks. Even after we've made some blunders, we can usually come up with something tricky by this level's standards.

[Event "ICC"]

[Site "Internet Chess Club"]

[Date "2009.09.10"]

[White "accordionman"]

[Black "KyleMayhugh"]

[Result "1/2-1/2"]

[WhiteElo "1305"]

[BlackElo "1260"]

[ECO "B12"]

[Opening "Caro-Kann"]

[Variation "Advance variation"]

[TimeControl "1800+30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5

Remember when I said I needed to work on the Caro-Kann advance variation? I never got around to it and yet here we are again.

Bf5 is in fact the proper response, hooray for me! Although 3. ... c5 is also playable here.

From there, rather than fighting off the pawn on e5, as I attempted to do, MCO says to try to develop from there, with e6, Be2, Nh4 and 0-0. Will remember that next time.

4. Bd3 Bxd3 5. Qxd3 f6

6. Bf4 fxe5 7. Bxe5 Nd7 8. Bg3 Ngf6 9. Nc3 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5

I'm once again just so frustrated to be cramped in like this that I decide to sac the knight for space and complications.

Crafty suggests Nc5, followed by Qe7 and eventually still being down two points.

11. Bxe5 Qe7 12. Nf3 Ng4

13. Qe2 O-O-O

Trying to overload the bishop and he responds.

14. O-O d4

Throwing away a pawn here, kind of silly.

15. Bxd4 Qxe2

16. Nxe2 Bd6 17. Bxg7 Rhe8 18. Rfe1 Rd7 19. h3 Rxg7 20. hxg4 Rxg4

21. Nc3 Reg8

Now the seeds are sown, though. I want to point a whole lot of stuff at his king and force him to respond accurately.

22. g3 Bxg3 23. fxg3 Rxg3+ 24. Kf2 Rg2+ 25. Kf1 Rxc2

26. Na4 b5

I regretted b5 a few moves later. I really should have played Rg8g1, putting him in all kinds of binds and at best in a knight for two pawns situation, possibly even winning for me if he makes a mistake here.

Crafy doesn't say anything, though, so

27. Nd4 Rf8+ 28. Kg1 Rg8+ 29. Kh1 Rf2 30. Nc5 Rgg2

31. Re2 Rh2+ 32. Kg1 Rhg2+

He could have pushed his rook down and probably mated me with the knights and rook, or at least given it one heck of a shot. Instead, we reach a perpetual and I steal a draw from a decent player. Draw agreed rather than played out.

1/2-1/2

New rating: 1260

And now I've completed my first cycle: Studied five master games, played three blitz and annotated, played three standard and annotated. Hooray!