[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Coventry"]
[Date "2006.11.12"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Martin, Andrew"]
[Black "Rudd, Jack"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2433"]
[BlackElo "2310"]
[Annotator "Rudd, Jack"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2006.09.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 Nf6 5. O-O {} 5... Bf5 $6 {Maybe not the
best way to meet white's reversed Gruenfeld setup; the bishop's position on f5
proves slightly awkward later.} (5... Bg4 $2 6. Ne5 $16) (5... cxd4 $6 6. Nxd4
e5 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. c4 $16) (5... e6 {is probably best, after which the game
will probably transpose into a Catalan or Tarrasch.}) 6. c4 e6 (6... dxc4 7.
Qa4 {seemed uncomfortable; I'll probably have to move my bishop back to d7
sooner or later to deal with the threats.}) 7. cxd5 7... exd5 $2 (7... Nxd5 {
would, with hindsight, have been safer. I didn't appreciate just how weak the
d-pawn would become.}) 8. Nc3 Be7 (8... cxd4 9. Nxd4 {gains white a tempo
because of the attack on the bishop - it was becoming clear that it wasn't
well-placed.}) (8... c4 9. Ne5 {also looked awkward.}) 9. Bg5 (9. dxc5 Bxc5 10.
Bg5 {is another possibility for white;} 10... d4 {
may give me some play, though.}) 9... c4 10. Ne5 O-O 11. e3 h6 12. Bxf6 Bxf6 ({
I briefly considered} 12... gxf6 {, with the aim of gaining a tempo or
bolstering my d-pawn, but it looks horribly artificial, and} 13. Qh5 fxe5 14.
Qxf5 exd4 15. Nxd5 {vindicates my decision not to take it too seriously.}) 13.
Qf3 (13. f4 {
also puts me in an awkward position - the threat is Nxd5; how do I meet it?}
13... Bxe5 {seems to be the best way, but} (13... Ne7 14. Qf3 Be6 15. g4) (
13... Nb4 14. Qf3 {with a3 to come.}) 14. fxe5 Be6 15. Qf3 Ne7 16. e4 {
gives white a commanding centre.}) 13... g6 {} 14. Rad1 $2 {
A careless move, squandering white's advantage.} (14. Ng4 $1 {is right, because
I can no longer save my pawn, nor can I win any of the white pawns in return.})
14... Nxe5 {
Taking the opportunity to exchange my doomed d5 pawn for white's solid d4 pawn.
} 15. dxe5 Bxe5 16. Rxd5 16... Qf6 {Having escaped, I suddenly realized that I
actually had the better game here. My queenside majority is mobile and
potentially lethal, and my pair of bishops work very nicely together.} 17. Rc1
Rac8 18. Rb5 b6 19. Nd5 19... Qd6 {With vague ideas of encircling the white
rook on b5. However, my opponent was unsurprisingly alert to these dangers.}
20. Rd1 Rfd8 (20... Bd7 $2 21. Nf6+ Qxf6 22. Qxf6 Bxf6 23. Rxd7 23... Rc5 $11)
21. Nc3 Qe6 22. Rbd5 Re8 23. R1d2 {} 23... Bg7 ({My original intention was} 
23... Bg4 $4 {, but white has the rather good reply} 24. Rxe5 $1 (24. Qe4 $4
24... Bxc3 $19)) 24. h4 Bd3 25. Qd1 25... a6 {
Preparing to get that queenside majority rolling.} 26. Ne2 Be5 27. Nc1 Bf5 28.
e4 28... Bg4 {} 29. Rxe5 $2 {An understandable mistake, but a fatal one:
white had to carry on grovelling and hope for some counterplay later. The text
decides the issue very quickly.} 29... Bxd1 $1 30. Rxe6 30... fxe6 $1 31. Rxd1
31... Red8 {The sting in the tail: my rook is coming in to d2, and the passed
pawn will decide matters.} 32. Re1 Rd2 33. Bh3 Kf7 34. Ne2 Rxb2 35. Nf4 (35.
Nd4 Re8 36. Rc1 36... b5 {may delay things, but black is still going to win.})
35... Rc6 36. a4 g5 (36... c3 37. Nd3 {
is a cute little fork of the rooks, although I can actually just reply} 37...
Kg7 {and the b2 rook can't be taken.}) 37. hxg5 hxg5 38. Ne2 c3 39. Nd4 {}
39... c2 $1 {
A cute little idea to finish, giving up the rook to force the pawn home.} 40.
Nxc6 Rb1 41. Ne5+ Kg7 0-1

