April Game One

K - C
April Match Internet Chess Club (1), 02.04.2006
E43 - Nimzo-Indian : Fischer variation

I was looking to get back into my winning ways. 1.d4 This was a bit of a surprise. Kirk hadn't played anything but [1.e4 for quite a while. It probably worked out better for him though because I had the unpleasant (for him) 1...c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 planned which he doesn't like] 1...Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 b6 Fischer Variation. He said after the game that if he remembered that I played this he would have played 4.Qb3 or something. I wonder what he was expecting 5.Bd3 Bb7 [I was thinking about 5...Ba6 but for some reason that would be a novelty in the Chessgames database. It doesn't look terrible to me] 6.f3 when I saw him play this I thought maybe I should've played ...Ba6 6...d5 [I forgot that he had already played e3, so i could play 6...0-0 successfully as if he really wanted to play 7.e4 it wouldn't be so good as he took way too long to get it accomplished 7...d5 8.e5 dxc4 9.exf6 cxd3 10.fxg7 Kxg7 11.Qxd3] 7.Nge2 [7.cxd5 is a little more regular] 7...0-0 8.0-0 c5 I didn't really want to end up with this pawn formation but after 9.a3 I saw that I might be able to give him an IQP which would work out. Recently I've been hoping to try the pawn center of ...e6, ...d6, ...c5, ...b6 but it was tough when he played f3 and I was worried about the big pawn center. 9...cxd4! Thank you David Bronstein 10.exd4 [10.axb4 dxc3 11.bxc3 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Qc7 is okay] 10...dxc4 I was happy with this move as now 11.Bxc4 [11.axb4 cxd3 12.Qxd3 is much better for Black, so the IQP is forced] 11...Be7 12.Bf4 I missed that he was threatening a few things here, so I quickly played 12...Nc6 13.d5?! I was worried about ...Na5 14.d6 Nxc4 15.dxe7 Qxe7 16.Bd6 but then saw that Nxd6 was better. But what about 16.b3 for instance? 13...Na5! 14.d6 [I had only thought about 14.Ba2 but then I just win the pawn] 14...Nxc4 15.dxe7 Qxe7 16.Qb3 [16.b3 Rfd8 Made it work(16...e5 was a little more complicated, but worked as well) ] 16...Ba6 17.Rfd1 [17.Qa4 I thought about 17...Na5 and if (but 17...Qc5+ 18.Kh1 Bb7 works just as well; or 17...Qb7 ) 18.b4 Bxe2 19.Nxe2 Nc4] 17...Rfd8 18.Bg5?? [18.Bg5?? White resigns before I could play 18...Qc5+ , which is frankly a bad idea at mine and Kirk's level. I could have missed the free bishop and, sad to say, we shouldn't resign at Canadian Open until the material is off the board. Kirk got into a position where he couldn't find a clear plan, he was frustrated that he dropped a pawn and overlooked a tactic.] 0-1