(1) Riddle,Randal J (1373) - Stewart,Douglas L (2006) [B30]

B30: Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3 Bb5, lines without ...g6

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.d3 g6 5.Be3 d6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.a3
[7.0-0 Nge7= ]

7...Nge7 8.Qd2
White's setup hasn't been terribly ambitious [8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 Nd4= ]

8...0-0 9.Bh6 a6 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.h3 b5 12.0-0 h6 13.Bd1 Be6 14.Ne2 f5 15.Ng3 f4 16.Ne2 g5 17.Qc3?!
[17.Nc3 Nd4=/+ ]

17...a5
I'm definitely trying to have the best of all worlds here - with pawn rollers on both sides of the board [17...Ng6 18.Nh2 h5 19.f3-+ ]

18.b3?
[>=18.Qd2=/+ ]

18...Ng6-+ 19.Qb2
[19.Qd2 h5 20.h4 Nxh4 21.Nxh4 gxh4 22.Kh1-+ ]

19...h5 20.Nh2 g4 21.g3 gxh3 22.gxf4
[22.c4 fxg3 23.fxg3 Qg5-+ ]

22...Nxf4 23.Kh1 Kh6?!
the whole was to use the king as a defender of the h5-pawn, but it would have been better to avoid pins on the c1-h6 diagonal [23...Kh7 24.Qc1-+ ]

24.Nxf4 Rxf4
[24...exf4?! 25.c3-/+ and the the queen would influence the 2nd rank]

25.Qc1 Qf6 26.Rg1 Nd4 27.Rg3
[White can consider shedding a pawn here 27.c3 Nxb3 28.Bxb3 Bxb3 29.Qe3-+ ]

27...Rc8
I'm not sure what the point of this move was?? [27...Kh7 28.c3 h4 29.Rg1 Nxb3 30.Bxb3 Bxb3-+ ]

28.Rb1
[28.Qe3 Kh7 29.c3 h4-+ ]

28...Rc7
[28...b4 29.Qe3-+ ]

29.Qe3?!
[29.c3 Nc6-+ ]

29...Rg7?!
I was struggling to figure out how to improve the position [>=29...b4-+ ]

30.Rxg7?!
[>=30.c3 h4 31.Ng4+ Bxg4 32.Rxg4-/+ ]

30...Qxg7-+ 31.Qg3 Qf6
I shouldn't be avoiding the queen trade, but I was trying to buy myself some time to try to understand the resulting endgame - we were both low on time here [31...Qxg3 32.fxg3 Rf2 33.c3-+ ]

32.Qe3
[32.f3 Qg5 33.Qf2 Rf6-+ ]

32...Qh4
[32...Qg6 33.Qg3 Qxg3 34.fxg3-+ ]

33.Qg3
[33.c3 Qg5 34.Qg3-+ ]

33...Qf6
[33...Qxg3 34.fxg3 Rf2 35.c3-+ ]

34.Qe3 Bd7
[34...Qg5 35.Qg3-+ ]

35.c3 Ne6?!
maybe technically this isn't really that bad, but from a practical sense it would have been [>=35...Qg5! 36.Qg3 (36.cxd4?? Qg2# ) 36...Nc6 37.Rb2-+ ]

36.Be2
[36.Qxh3 Rh4-+ evaluates no better for White than anything else in Fritz, but it would re-establish material equality and hope!]

36...Ng5 37.Rg1?
[>=37.f3-+ ]

37...Rxf2 38.Rxg5 Rxh2+ 39.Kxh2 Qxg5 40.Qxg5+
[40.Qf2 Qg2+! 41.Qxg2 hxg2 42.Kxg2-+ Bg4 43.Bf1 b4! 44.axb4 axb4 45.cxb4 cxb4 46.Kf2 Be6-+ and the b-pawn falls]

40...Kxg5
this endgame is an easy win for me

41.Kg3 h4+ 42.Kh2 Kf4 43.Bf1 Ke3 44.Bxh3 Bxh3 45.Kxh3 Kxd3 46.b4 axb4 47.cxb4 cxb4 48.axb4 Kxe4 49.Kxh4 Kf3 50.Kh3 e4 51.Kh2 e3 52.Kg1 e2 53.Kh1
after making this move White resigned 0-1