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Annotated Games

Bryan Paulsen v. Leopold Lacrimosa
Arizona Open, round 2, 2002.06.22
A04: Reti

Annotated by Leopold Lacrimosa

[Click here to view the "Annotated_Games" PGN file in Chess Tutor, an interactive chess board.]

[Or download the PGN file to use in your own chess program.]

Bryan Paulsen is a very nice young man that I have known for three years now. He has gotten his rating up to where it is by a lot of hard work on his own! He now helps coach young kids at the Shelbi school.

1. Nf3 Nc6 2. c4

I like to play the Chigorin Defense to the Queen's Gambit (2. d4 d5 3. c4), and lately I've been studying Nimzowitsch's Defense to 2. e4 d6 3. d4 Bg4. After the text I wasn't sure what to play here since I always answered 1.c4 with c5.

2... e6 3. d4 d5 4. Nc3

Now we're into a Queen's Gambit with my Knight misplaced on c6.

4... Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 a6 7. a3 O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5

My opponent seemed a little surprised by this move.

10. Be2 Bb7 11. O-O Nd7 12. Bf4

Looking to place my Knight on a better square by 12. Bxe7 Nxe7 so I can free up the c-pawn to move to c5.

12... Bd6 = 13. Bxd6 cxd6

14. d5!

Bryan does not wait for me to regroup my pieces.

14... Nce5

Also recommended by Fritz 7 as the best move in this position.

15. dxe6 Nxf3+

(15... fxe6 16. Qxd6 Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 Bxf3 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. gxf3)

16. Bxf3 Bxf3 17. Qxf3

(17. Qxd6 Nb6 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. gxf3 fxe6)

17... fxe6

I thought I was ok here. And Fritz says its equal.

18. Qg4 Qe7 19. Rad1 Ne5

(19... Rac8 or 19... Rad8 are also ok)

20. Qg3 Rf6 21. f4

I was hoping for a cheapo here with 21. Qh4 Nf3+ 22. gxf3 Rg6+ wins the Queen. But like I tell my students..."Don't play hope chess."

21... Rg6 22. Qf2 Rf8 23. Qe2 Ng4?!

I should really rate this as a blunder, but Fritz says the position is still equal here. Stupid computer.
(23... Nc4! The natural square for the knight! 24. b3 Nxa3)

24. h3 Nf6

(24... Nh6 25. e4 Nf7 26. f5 Rg5)

25. e4

I wanted to get in d5, but I was a tempo too short.

25... Ne8 26. Qf2 Qb7?!

Not sure what to play here, and I was afraid of his Queen coming into b6: 26... Kh8 27. Qb6 Qh4 =/+ (LM Joel Johnson). I should just play 26... Rgf6.

27. Rd2 b4?!

My next mistake. Joel says this move is a waste of time and achieves nothing.
(27... Rgf6)

28. axb4 Qxb4 29. f5 Rgf6

Here I was afraid of 29... exf5 30. exf5 -- 31. Qe3 Rgf6 (the fork) 32. Nd5, but Joel said I had better with 30... Rg5.

30. g4 Qb7

(30... Nc7 31. Qd4 Qxd4+ 32. Rxd4 exf5 33. Rxf5 Rh6)

31. Qe3 +/=

31... exf5

(31... Qe7 32. Rdf2 exf5 33. Rxf5 Rxf5 34. Rxf5 Nc7 35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 +/=)

32. exf5 Nc7

A serious mistake in an equal position. (32... R6f7 33. Re1)

33. Ne4!! +-

Really excellent move according to Fritz and me.

33... Re8?

Here I blunder, dropping the exchange, but my position is bad anyway. This is a common occurrence after a player has made an error. The psychological shock of the first mistake often leads to another. "Blunders rarely travel alone" said Karpov. I could try 33... Rh6 34. g5 Rh5 35. Nxd6 Qb4 but White is still winning according to Fritz 7.

34. Nxf6+ gxf6 35. Qd4 Nb5

And with the rest of the text, he mops me up.

36. Qxf6 Qe4 37. Qg5+ Kf7 38. f6 Rg8 39. Qh5+ Kf8 40. Qh6+ Kf7 41. Qf4 Qe6 42. Qf3 Qd7 43. Re1 Re8 44. Rde2 Rxe2 45. Rxe2 Qa7+ 46. Kg2 Qc5 47. Re7+ Kg6 48. Rg7+

And a good game to Bryan.

1-0

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