MKC v Bedford D, Heath-Hickman

 [Event " MK C v Bedford D "] [Site "OU"] [Date "2016.01.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Heath, A."] [Black "Hickman, N."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C12"] [Annotator "Hickman,Neil"] [PlyCount "64"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 {The McCutcheon variation, against which I had an uncomfortable time against Whiteside of Milton Keynes last year, so thought I'd give it a try as Black} 5. e5 h6 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 $5 ({ Playable, but curiously, the best move here is thought to be} 7. bxc3 { accepting the doubled pawns. The recapture with the bishop got a bad reputation after Fischer got heavily beaten by Petrosian early in his career after 7 Bxc3. There seem to be two arguments against the bishop recapture - White can't preserve the two bishops anyway, as Fischer-Petrosian showed; and after Qg4 which White normally plays Black can simply castle because White doesn't threaten Bxh6}) 7... Ne4 8. Qf3 c5 9. Bb5+ $6 {This, on the other hand, must be a mistake. It gets rid of Black's problem piece and advances his development} Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 ({Fritz is rather insistent that} 10... Nxd7 { is preferable, but I wanted this knight on c6 to pressure the centre}) 11. Ne2 Nc6 12. Rd1 $6 ({I really don't like this.} 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. O-O Ne4 {and Black may be a touch better but nothing significant.}) 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 { White ends up with the doubled pawns anyway. But there is worse to come.} cxd4 14. cxd4 Na5 {There is a tasty backward pawn on the c-file, and it is important to keep it that way.} 15. Nc3 O-O 16. O-O Rac8 17. Rd3 Rc4 18. Rb1 a6 $1 {Nimzowitsch went on at length about "prophylaxis" and this move is a case in point. Black must not allow the knight to go to b5 and d6} 19. Rb2 b5 $2 ({ Very superficial. After what is frankly the obvious move} 19... Rfc8 {moving the N away drops the c-pawn but after the inevitable ...Qc7 Black would inevitably win material anyway}) 20. Ne2 $1 Rfc8 21. Ra3 $2 ({White lashes out but only succeeds in putting his rook on an awkward square.} 21. c3 {was unattractive but necessary}) 21... Qc7 $6 ({Irritatingly, Fritz points out that Black could win out of hand by} 21... Rxc2 {because after} 22. Rxc2 Rxc2 23. Rxa5 $4 Qc7 $1 {with a poisonous double threat of taking the R and mating after ...Rc1+. But although I am annoyed that I missed that idea, Black does not need to take chances or do anything flashy; the pressure down the c-file is going to win so long as Black ensures that White gets no counter-chances.}) 22. h3 Rc6 {Simply freeing the N to occupy the outpost. The problem with Ra3 was that Black could deal with the threats to the N and the RP one after another rather than having to deal with them at the same time} 23. Qd3 $4 {I never did find out what the idea of this move was.} Nc4 {Of course. White could resign with a clear conscience.} 24. Rab3 Nxb2 25. Rxb2 Rxc2 26. Rxc2 Qxc2 27. Qe3 Qxa2 28. f4 Rc2 {The simplest winning idea is to push the Q-side pawns and at a suitable moment simply exchange down into a very straightforward pawn ending. Fritz has this position at about +20 for Black} 29. Kf1 b4 30. f5 Rxe2 31. Qxe2 Qxe2+ 32. Kxe2 exf5 0-1