[Event "Los Angeles Open, under 2200 section"]
[Site "Los Angeles, CA"]
[Date "2012.10.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Michael Cooper"]
[Black "Raoul Crisologo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2060"]
[BlackElo "2166"]
[Opening "Pirc: Ufimtsev-Pytel variation"]
[ECO "B07"]
[NIC "PU.08"]
{I wasn't feeling the greatest about my chess ability going into this game. After losing to Larry Stevens at the Pasadena club the night before, I realized it had been a long time since I had beaten a player over 2000 in a slow game (not counting 2000 "floored" players, i.e. A-players whose ratings USCF has chosen to artificially inflate).} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. f4 g6 {4... Qa5 is the independent move which keeps us in Czech Pirc territory.} 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Be3 O-O {We've transposed to a position from the main line Pirc, most commonly reached by 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be3 c6.} 7. Qd2 {Both 7. h3 and 7. Bd3 are probably more challenging.} b5 8. e5 b4 9. exf6 bxc3 10. bxc3 {After trading away the knight on c3, it is unlikely the white king could be comfortable on the queenside, so I played this move instead to open the b-file, strengthen control of the center, and avoid putting the queen in the eye of that dangerous Pirc bishop on g7.} exf6 {On 11... Bxf6, White has a ready-made kingside attack with Bd3, O-O, and f4-f5. After the text, Black can also lay claim to the e4-square, while still leaving another f-pawn at home on f7 to keep pesky invaders out.} 11. Bd3 Re8 {It feels natural to put the rook on the open file, but as White is better developed, Black will not be able to win the contest for control of the e-file with heavy pieces directly. He can quickly establish a base on e4, though, with ...f5 and ...Nd7-f6-e4.} 12. O-O f5 13. Rfe1 Nd7 14. Bf2 Nb6 {It is not clear what the knight is doing on the queenside.} 15. Bh4 {Controlling key dark squares in Black's camp, making him uncomfortable.} f6 {Alex Yermolinsky likes to describe an inactive piece as "needing to find a job". Well, White's bishop has just been fired from a temp job and may soon have to hit the pavement again. But now Black's own bishop is on unemployment, and the f6-pawn is a potential target.} 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Re1 {It would have been accurate to play 17. c4 first.} Qf7 18. c4 {The pawn sac doesn't quite work, but my opponent trusted me and demurred. {18... Nxc4 19. Qb4 Ba6 20. Nd2 Nxd2 21. Bxa6 Ne4, and Black slips into e4 via the back door and achieves equality.} Bf8 19. Qc3 {Exerting indirect pressure on f6 and probing for a pawn break.} Bg7 20. Qb4 {20. Qa5 makes more sense, preparing c4-c5 without any worries of being in the line of fire after ...Bf8.} Bf8 21. Bf2 {Reentering the game, both preventing ...c6-c5 ideas and supporting White's own potential c4-c5 push. But White should probably try to repeat with 21. Qc3 Bg7 and then redeploy with 22. Qa5!} Bd7 {A careless development. Black should put pressure on White's pawns with 21... Be6 or 21... Ba6. White can now invade on b7 consequence-free.} 22. c5 Nd5 23. Qb7 Re8 24. Bc4 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 Be8 26. Qa8 {Declining the queen trade and renewing the threat of Bxd5 creating a passed pawn.} dxc5 27. dxc5 Qd7 28. Bxd5+ cxd5 29. Nd3 Qe6 {Frustrated at defending, Black tries to create counterplay, but this merely loses a pawn for play that isn't there. Instead, 29... d4! cuts off the bishop's protection of the c5-pawn, thereby preventing White's threat of Nb4.} 30. Qxa7 Bb5 {Continuing to seek after active play, but now White is winning easily, as his next move forces a humiliating retreat.} 31. Qb6 Qe8 {Of course, any queen trade results in a trivially winning endgame for White.} 32. Qxf6 {Black could play 32... Bxd3 33. cxd3 Bxc5, but despite winning back one pawn, this only serves to simplify to a lost ending where Black could hope to harass and annoy White for a while but the outcome should not be in doubt.} Bg7 33. Qd6 Bc4 34. Ne5 {34. c6 was the quickest win, but in severe time pressure (this was a game/75 round in the two-day schedule), White played for a simply winning endgame.} Bf8 35. Qd7 Qb8 {Black declines the queen trade, as he would then have to give up a piece to prevent the pawn from queening, but now White has a cute little checkmate.} 36. Qf7+ Kh8 37. Nxg6+ {37... hxg6 38. Bd4+ is the end... So, that game was a relief. I can legitimately beat other experts after all.} 1-0
