[Event "FICS rated standard game"]
[Site "FICS freechess.org"]
[Date "2012.03.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GCRO"]
[Black "antibot"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E07"]
[WhiteElo "1894"]
[BlackElo "1905"]
[Annotator ",Gregory"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.??.??"]
[TimeControl "900"]

1. d4 {0} d5 {0} 2. Nf3 {1} Nf6 {4} 3. g3 {10} e6 {15} 4. Bg2 {3} Be7 {1} 5.
O-O {c4 before O-O is much more common. I'm not sure why. 6} O-O {9} 6. c4 {8}
c6 {21} 7. Nc3 {10} (7. Qc2 {A more common move in my database. Both seem fine.
}) 7... Nbd7 {31} 8. cxd5 $2 {White, being a true gentlemen, helps free up
Black's position while asking for nothing in return! Theory is b3 for White,
followed by e4. 5} exd5 {4} 9. Qc2 {24} Re8 {49} 10. Re1 {26} Bf8 {25} 11. Bg5
{17} h6 {4} 12. Bxf6 $2 {Forfeiting the bishop without any compensation. After
Nxf6, Black develops another piece, and thanks to my cxd5, the Black bishop is
ready to play. 31} (12. Bf4 Nh5 13. Bd2 Nhf6 14. Rad1 $11 {Houdini thinks this
is dead equal. I'm not sure how White goes about making progress.}) 12... Nxf6
{4} 13. e4 $2 {Opening the board for Black's bishops while going into a bad
liquidation. I'm not sure what a better plan for White is in this position.
The only thing I can think of is a minority attack with a3, b4, b5 making use
of White's half open c-file (undermining the c6 pawn). 0} dxe4 {3} 14. Nxe4 {59
} Nxe4 {59} 15. Rxe4 {10} Bf5 {19} 16. Rxe8 {2} Bxc2 {2} 17. Rxd8 {1} Rxd8 {
Black has two pawn islands and the bishop pair in a fairly open position.
White has an isolated pawn. At this point I thought I was strategically
lost but decided to play on anyway.1} 18. Re1 {49} Bb4 {22} 19. Rc1 {57} Be4 {
18} 20. a3 {16} Ba5 {11} 21. Rc5 $2 {The intention is to swing the rook to e5
hoping to generate counterplay on Black's seventh rank. 49} Bb6 {15} 22. Re5 {
28} Bxf3 $2 {60} (22... Bd5 {Black is definitely better here and I don't see
any reason to liquidate right now. I'm not really sure how White can improve
his position at this point, either. d4 is bound to fall anyway and Black will
have a 3-2 advantage on the Queenside.}) 23. Bxf3 {4} Rxd4 {25} 24. Re8+ {60}
Kh7 {9} 25. Be4+ {33} (25. Re7 {More accurate.} f5 26. Rxb7 Rd2 27. Bxc6) 25...
g6 {4} 26. Kf1 $2 {A poor move that maybe loses the game? White needs to make
counterplay on the 7th rank as quickly as possible. Kf1 doesn't even save the
f2 pawn. 59} (26. Re7 Kg7 27. Bf3 Rd2 28. Rxb7 Bxf2+ 29. Kh1 Bb6 30. a4) 26...
Rd2 {43} 27. Re7 {12} Rxf2+ {54} 28. Ke1 {22} Kg7 {59} 29. Rxb7 {17} Rxb2 {
Rxh2 also a good move. 3} 30. Bxc6 {6} Ba5+ $2 {A very bad move strategically.
With the rooks on the board, Black can activate his king. The White king is
stuck on the first rank. 59} (30... Kf6 {Looking at this position with Houdini,
I think Black was just winning had he activated his king to the center/
kingside and then taken the h2 pawn.}) 31. Kf1 {10} Rxb7 $2 {Black willingly
goes into the endgame with bishops of opposite colors. Even though Black is a
pawn up, I now thought I would draw without difficulty. It's interesting to
see that my poor liquidation of the middlegame caused me to be at a
disadvantage. Now it's Black's poor liquidation in the endgame that causes
him to lose his winning chances. 23} 32. Bxb7 {4} Kf6 {2} 33. Ke2 {10} Ke5 {2}
34. Kf3 {10} Kd4 {14} 35. h3 {7} Bc7 {5} 36. a4 {5} Kd3 {9} 37. Bc6 {7} f6 {7}
38. Be8 $2 {Still a draw, but I completely missed the obvious Be4+. 3} (38.
Be4+ Kc4 39. Bxg6 Kb4 40. Be8 $11) 38... g5 {2} 39. Bd7 {11} a5 {5} 40. Bf5+ {8
} Kd4 {2} 41. Bd7 {2} Ke5 {5} 42. g4 {2} Bb6 {2} 43. Bf5 {4} Kd4 {1} 44. Bd7 {1
} Kc3 {2} 45. Be6 {3} Kd2 {2} 46. Bc4 {
The bishop coveres f1 so Black cannot make progress. 5} Ke1 {1} 47. Bb5 {2} Bc7
{3} 48. Bc4 {1} Kd2 {1} 49. Bb5 {Game drawn by mutual agreement Conclusion:
I don't think I am getting bad positions out of the opening because of poor
opening theory. My opening theory is not great, but it was a
fundamentally incorrect grasp of the position as well as poor calculating that
caused me to play 8. cxd5? and 13. e4? So I am not too hard on myself, I'll
say that I am glad I kept fighting in what looked like a terrible position
around move 18. I'm also fairly happy with how I played the ending once
each side was down to two minor pieces and especially after each side was down
to bishops of opposite colors. It took multiple endgame errors by my
opponent just so I could draw and I can't expect to be handed so many gifts
against stronger opposition. 1} 1/2-1/2