(17) Palmer,B (1990) - Daly,C (2311) [A10]
Armstrong Cup 2008 (7), 29.01.2009
[,BEYOND2006]



1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.g3 d6 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.e4 h5 6.h4 Nd4 7.f3?!
A pretty u gly move that does little to help White. Black is already comfortably equal.

7...c5 8.Nge2 Nxe2 9.Nxe2 Nf6 10.Rb1 0-0 11.0-0 a5
[11...Qa5 12.a3 b5 Was perhaps a better chance at trying to complicate the position]

12.d4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Nd7!?
[13...Bd7 Was perfectly fine too]

14.Be3 Ne5 15.Rc1 b6
[15...Bd7 16.c5 Looks very drawish indeed]

16.Qd2 Bd7 17.Rfd1 Qb8 18.Ne2 Rc8 19.b3 a4 20.Nf4 axb3 21.axb3 Bc6 22.Qf2 Ra3 23.Rb1 Nd7?!
[23...b5 24.c5 And it is very hard to see how Black can create any chances from such an equal position]

24.Bh3 e6 25.Qd2
[25.Nd5! Would have seen White playing for an advantage.]

25...Bf8 26.Rdc1 Ne5 27.Bg2 Ra8
Black has a very easy position to play and is still comfortably equal, but it is hard for him to create complications and any winning chances.

28.Nd3
Consistent with Whites overall plan to chop wood and make a draw.

28...Nxd3 29.Qxd3 Qb7 30.Bf4 e5
[30...d5 31.cxd5 exd5 32.e5 Re8 Did not apeal to me as having many wining chances, so I tried to just keep some tension and see if White goes wrong]

31.Be3 Be7 32.Bf2 Rf8
A bit of a waste as Black never gets to play F5

33.Ra1 Rab8 34.Ra2 Ra8 35.Raa1 Rfb8 36.b4 b5 37.Rxa8 Rxa8 38.c5 dxc5 39.Bxc5 Rd8 40.Qc3 Bf6 41.Ra1 Ra8?
[41...Qd7 Was better]

42.Rxa8+ Qxa8 43.Bd6 Qe8 44.Qc5
[44.f4 When White has an advantage]

44...Bd7 45.Bf1 Bg7 46.Kh2 Qe6 47.Bc7 Bf8 48.Qc3 f6 49.Ba5 Qa2+ 50.Kg1 Qe6 51.Bd8 Kf7 52.Bc7 Bd6 53.Bxd6 Qxd6 54.Be2 Qb6+ 55.Kg2 Ke7 56.Bf1 Qd6 57.Be2 f5 58.exf5 gxf5 59.Kf2 Bc6 60.Qe3
Black now had about three minutes left as compared with White's six and having tried hard to create complications Black goes too far.

60...Kd7? 61.Qa7+ Qc7 62.Qc5 Qd6 63.Qa7+ Qc7
And a draw was agreed now. But if White exchanges off on c7 then I think it should be a win for White. I give an example of play which seems to confirm that Black is lost?

64.Qxc7+ Kxc7 65.f4 exf4 66.gxf4 Be8 67.Ke3 Kd6 68.Kd4 1/2-1/2