ECCLES v MARPLE 2

We played this game with Andrew Lowndes in mind and most of our team started with 1. c3 or 1....c6 as a mark of respect.  We then gave Eccles their first points of the season.  Terry got a lost position early on when he couldn't transpose after playing c6.  I missed a mate in 2 against a player graded 20 points above me.  If you look at the diagram below you'll see what I've been seeing all day but missed last night.

Eccles	3.5-2.5	Marple 2
Harold, Lawrence	0-1	Preen, David W
Holland, Nigel	1-0	Cowling, Terry
Whitehead, Gerry J	0-1	Kay, Tony
Lysons, Chris	1-0	Dainty, Neil C
Perryman, Des J	0.5-0.5	Doust, Antony
Unsworth, William	1-0	Edwards, Barrie R

 

(24) LYSONS,Chris - DAINTY,Neil [B18]

SELSCL, 27.08.2014

1.d4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.Bc4 e6 8.c3 Be7 9.0–0 Ngf6 This allows Nh4 trapping Bg6; not a problem but probably I should have played h6 first.

10.Re1 Qc7 11.Nh4 Nb6 12.Nxg6 hxg6 13.Bb3 0–0–0 14.Qf3 Bd6 15.Bg5 Nbd7 I'm quite happy at this point; the open h file looks promising

16.h3 Kb8 He wants to play Bf4 and I convince myself the King would be better in the corner. Mistake!

17.Ne4 Ka8 I looked (and kept looking) at Bh7+ but couldn't see where to go from there. Mistake.

18.Nxf6 Nxf6 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Qxf6 Rh7 21.Re2 Be7 22.Qe5 Bd6 23.Qe3 Bf4 24.Qf3 g5 25.Rae1 Rg8 26.d5 g4

I'm not unhappy now

27.Qd3 gxh3 28.Qxh7?? Diagram

XABCDEFGHY
8k+-+-+r+(
7zppwq-+p+Q'
6-+p+p+-+&
5+-+P+-+-%
4-+-+-vl-+$
3+LzP-+-+p#
2PzP-+RzPP+"
1+-+-tR-mK-!
xabcdefghy

The game should now be over. I played gxh3 instinctively. I felt it must win somehow! Taking the rook loses but I was a bit shaken because I hadn't looked at it. I was also well behind on time but this wasn't really an issue. However I I believe these factors muddled my thinking and helped me miss mate in 2.

28...Rxg2+ [28...Bh2+ 29.Kh1 hxg2#] 29.Kf1 Qb8 30.f3 Qg8 31.Qxg8+ Rxg8

I thought I still had chances (doh!) but things went quickly downhill from here.