[Event "British Championship"] [Site "Llandudno"] [Date "2017.08.28"] [Round "6"] [White "Pert N, 2558."] [Black "Pleasants A J, 2105."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A43"] [Annotator "Doe,John"] [PlyCount "55"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 {5.Bxf6 is a rather insipid main line alternative and after 5...Qxf6 6.c3 b4 7.e4 g5 8.Bb5 Bg7 9.e5 Qb6 10.Qe2 a6 11.Ba4 Qh6 a quick draw was agreed in K Johansen-V Bukal Tourneo di Capodanno, 1985.} b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 d6 8. Nbd2 Nbd7 {Allan has achieved equality with comparative ease and his GM opponent, unable to make any headway on the queenside, turns his attention to the opposite wing.} 9. h3 g6 10. a5 Qc7 11. g4 Bg7 12. Bg2 g5 13. Bg3 h5 $5 {Taking a combative approach safe in the knowledge that a series of exchanges will see his minor pieces end up on the better squares.} 14. Nxg5 hxg4 15. Qc2 {After 15.hxg4 RRxh1+ 16.Bxh1 Nxg4 Black is doing just fine, so White looks to complicate matters...} Nf8 16. hxg4 Rxh1+ 17. Bxh1 Bxg4 {... but without much success. If you compare this position with the one in the previous note it is clear that Black has greater freedom and with his next move, trying to counter this by staking further claim to the centre, White only makes matters worse.} 18. e4 Nh5 {Even better was 18...Bh6!? 19.Ndf3 Ng6-/+ when Black has all the play. Sadly, Allan's choice of move was governed by the fact that he had another square in mind for his king's bishop.} 19. Bh2 Be5 $6 20. Bf3 Bxf3 21. Ndxf3 Bxh2 22. Nxh2 Ng6 23. Nhf3 Ne5 $4 {and his misplaced faith in occupation of this square hastens his downfall within half a dozen moves!} 24. Nxe5 dxe5 25. Qa4+ Kf8 26. O-O-O Qd6 27. Kb1 Qh6 28. Qc6 {A cute finish, insisting on the queens coming off whereupon 29 Nh7+ Ke8 30 dxc6 leaves Black no choice but to play 30...Kd8 (to avoid a back rank mate) and then 31 Rg8+ picks up the stay-at-home rook. 1-0} 1-0

[Event "British Championships 2017"] [Site "Llandudno"] [Date "2017.08.28"] [Round "1"] [White "Litttlewood P E, 2361."] [Black "Simons M J, 2026."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A57"] [Annotator "Doe,John"] [PlyCount "82"]   d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Nf3 d6 5. cxb5 a6 6. e3 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. e4 Nbd7 bxa6 Qa5 10. Bd3 Nxd5 $1 {A bolt from the blue!} 11. exd5 Bxc3+ {White decides to give up the exchange when 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 14.Nxd2 Bxa6 15.Bxa6 was a forcing line keeping damage to a minimum.} 12. bxc3 $2 {White decides to give up the exchange when 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 14.Nxd2 Bxa6 15.Bxa6 was a forcing line keeping damage to a minimum.} Qxc3+ 13. Qd2 Qxa1 14. O-O Qg7 $6 {Concern over his queen and rook being skewered leads Martin to retreat his queen immediately, but 14...0-0! would have accomplished the same escape act and after 15.Bb2 Qxa2 16.Qc3 Nf6 another pawn is pocketed and the mating threat nullified.} 15. Bb2 f6 16. Ng5 $5 Qh6 17. f4 O-O 18. Ne6 Nb6 $2 { 18...Bxa6! is the correct way to give the exchange back, as after 19.Nxf8 Qxf8 20.Bxa6 Rxa6 21.a3 Black is a safe pawn to the good.} 19. Nxf8 Qxf8 20. Qa5 { Now it becomes clear that, safe or otherwise, a pawn advantage may not even be there for the taking because, in order to pick up the advanced a-pawn, Black must weaken his own on the c-file.} c4 21. Be2 Rxa6 22. Qb5 Qd8 23. Bd4 $1 Qd7 a4 {Bowing to the inevitable and the flurry of exchanges that follow leads to complete equality.} Nxa4 25. Qxc4 Nc5 26. Bxc5 dxc5 27. Qxc5 Qa7 28. Rc1 Qxc5+ 29. Rxc5 Ra8 {and although a draw was not agreed for another ten moves it could have taken place here.} 30. Rc7 Ba6 31. Rxe7 Bxe2 32. Rxe2 Ra1+ 33. Kf2 Rd1 34. Re8+ Kf7 35. Rh8 Rxd5 36. Rxh7+ Ke6 37. g4 Ra5 38. Rg7 g5 39. fxg5 fxg5 40. Rg6+ Kf7 41. Rb6 Ra2+ 1/2-1/2