I was happy to get this draw, until Fritz mentioned I'd missed a win. I might have preferred blissful ignorance...
[Event "Plate Quarter-Final"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.2.2"]
[Round "?"]
[White "J Mendes"]
[Black "H Jones"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "126"]
%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
1. d4 d5 2. e3 c5 {I think I should have played Nf6 first.} 3. c3 Nc6 4. f4
{Good, bad, or merely OK? Looks wrong to me.} 4... Nf6 5. Bd3 cxd4 {Giving up
the tension...} 6. exd4 Bg4 7. Nf3 Ne4 {Wanted to play f6 to support e5.} 8.
Nbd2 Nxd2 9. Bxd2 e6 {Didn't think I could play f6 as White responds f5.} 10.
O-O Bd6 11. Qe1 O-O 12. Ne5 Bf5 13. Be2 {Bxf5 was much better.} 13... Qb6
{Sacrificing the exchange, accidentally. Although it actually works in my
favour.} 14. Nd7 Qxb2 15. Nxf8 Kxf8 {Even though I'm down the exchange, I
prefer my position. I have a pawn advantage, and his backward c-pawn on my
semi-open file is almost worthless. Both my good and bad bishops are active,
his bad bishop is inactive, his good bishop has no useful squares. His extra
rook isn't doing much, and my knight could be useful... } 16. Qc1 Qb6 17. Be3
Rc8 18. Qd2 Na5 19. Bd3 {Misses...} 19... Nc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. Rf2 {?} 21...
Qa5 22. Qb2 Qxc3 23. Qxc3 Rxc3 24. Re1 Rd3 {Slight mistake. Stronger was
24...Ba3 as my bishops then prevent White's rooks from using the b and c
files at all.} 25. Rb2 b6 26. Rb3 {Drops another pawn.} 26... Rxb3 27. axb3
Bc2 28. Ra1 a5 29. g3 {?} 29... Bxb3 30. Rb1 a4 31. Bd2 b5 32. Bc3 Bc4 33.
Rb4 {After this move, my opponent says 'This will either be a great move, or
not'. It doesn't work. 33.Bb4 is better, but it loses too, I suppose.} 33...
Bxb4 {I considered 33...a3, which is better, but I just wanted the rook.}
34. Bxb4+ Ke8 35. Kf2 f6 36. Ke3 Kf7 37. h4 h6 38. h5 {Instead of this, my
opponent actually tries to play 38.g5. Moving a pawn from the 3rd rank to the
5th rank is almost as good as trying to claim a stalemate when you're about
to get checkmated next move, which happened the last time we played this
team.} 38... f5 39. Kf3 Bb3 40. Ke2 Bc2 41. Ba3 Be4 42. Kf2 g6 43. hxg6+ Kxg6
44. Bb4 h5 {Making it hard for myself...} 45. Ba3 Kf7 46. Bb4 Ke8 47. Ba3 Kd7
48. Bb4 Kc6 49. Kg1 Kb6 50. Kh2 a3 51. Bxa3 Ka5 52. Bc1 b4 53. Kh3 b3 54. Kh4
Bf3 {Kb4 is better.} 55. Kg5 Kb4 56. Bb2 Kc4 57. Kf6 Kd3 58. Kxe6 Be4 59. Kf6
Kc2 60. Ba1 b2 61. Bxb2 Kxb2 62. Kg5 Kc3 63. Kxh5 Bf3+ 64. Kg5 Bg4 65. Kf6
Kxd4 66. Ke6 Ke4 67. Kf6 d4 68. Ke6 d3 69. Kf6 d2 70. Ke6 d1=Q 71. Kf6 Qd4+
72. Kg5 Qg7+ 73. Kh4 Qh6# 1/2-1/2
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.2.2"]
[Round "?"]
[White "J Mendes"]
[Black "H Jones"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "126"]
%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
1. d4 d5 2. e3 c5 {I think I should have played Nf6 first.} 3. c3 Nc6 4. f4
{Good, bad, or merely OK? Looks wrong to me.} 4... Nf6 5. Bd3 cxd4 {Giving up
the tension...} 6. exd4 Bg4 7. Nf3 Ne4 {Wanted to play f6 to support e5.} 8.
Nbd2 Nxd2 9. Bxd2 e6 {Didn't think I could play f6 as White responds f5.} 10.
O-O Bd6 11. Qe1 O-O 12. Ne5 Bf5 13. Be2 {Bxf5 was much better.} 13... Qb6
{Sacrificing the exchange, accidentally. Although it actually works in my
favour.} 14. Nd7 Qxb2 15. Nxf8 Kxf8 {Even though I'm down the exchange, I
prefer my position. I have a pawn advantage, and his backward c-pawn on my
semi-open file is almost worthless. Both my good and bad bishops are active,
his bad bishop is inactive, his good bishop has no useful squares. His extra
rook isn't doing much, and my knight could be useful... } 16. Qc1 Qb6 17. Be3
Rc8 18. Qd2 Na5 19. Bd3 {Misses...} 19... Nc4 20. Bxc4 Rxc4 21. Rf2 {?} 21...
Qa5 22. Qb2 Qxc3 23. Qxc3 Rxc3 24. Re1 Rd3 {Slight mistake. Stronger was
24...Ba3 as my bishops then prevent White's rooks from using the b and c
files at all.} 25. Rb2 b6 26. Rb3 {Drops another pawn.} 26... Rxb3 27. axb3
Bc2 28. Ra1 a5 29. g3 {?} 29... Bxb3 30. Rb1 a4 31. Bd2 b5 32. Bc3 Bc4 33.
Rb4 {After this move, my opponent says 'This will either be a great move, or
not'. It doesn't work. 33.Bb4 is better, but it loses too, I suppose.} 33...
Bxb4 {I considered 33...a3, which is better, but I just wanted the rook.}
34. Bxb4+ Ke8 35. Kf2 f6 36. Ke3 Kf7 37. h4 h6 38. h5 {Instead of this, my
opponent actually tries to play 38.g5. Moving a pawn from the 3rd rank to the
5th rank is almost as good as trying to claim a stalemate when you're about
to get checkmated next move, which happened the last time we played this
team.} 38... f5 39. Kf3 Bb3 40. Ke2 Bc2 41. Ba3 Be4 42. Kf2 g6 43. hxg6+ Kxg6
44. Bb4 h5 {Making it hard for myself...} 45. Ba3 Kf7 46. Bb4 Ke8 47. Ba3 Kd7
48. Bb4 Kc6 49. Kg1 Kb6 50. Kh2 a3 51. Bxa3 Ka5 52. Bc1 b4 53. Kh3 b3 54. Kh4
Bf3 {Kb4 is better.} 55. Kg5 Kb4 56. Bb2 Kc4 57. Kf6 Kd3 58. Kxe6 Be4 59. Kf6
Kc2 60. Ba1 b2 61. Bxb2 Kxb2 62. Kg5 Kc3 63. Kxh5 Bf3+ 64. Kg5 Bg4 65. Kf6
Kxd4 66. Ke6 Ke4 67. Kf6 d4 68. Ke6 d3 69. Kf6 d2 70. Ke6 d1=Q 71. Kf6 Qd4+
72. Kg5 Qg7+ 73. Kh4 Qh6# 1/2-1/2
