White: Johan Eriksson Black: Bruce Leverett Exhibition game Pittsburgh Chess Club, March 11, 2003 Queen's Gambit Declined 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 d5 I have relied on the Queen's Gambit Accepted for about twenty years, but I returned to the Declined for this game. 4 Bg5 Be7 5 e3 O-O 6 Nf3 h6 7 Bxf6 After 7 Bh4, Black might play 7 ... Ne4, the Lasker defense, or 7 ... b6, the Tartakower defense. 7 ... Bxf6 8 Qd2 c6 Black has a more straightforward path to equality after 8 ... dxc4 9 Bxc4 c5. He can easily regain the pawn after 10 dxc5. Instead, my opponent planned to castle (I don't remember which side), but that too should be OK for Black. The text move is not bad either. 9 O-O-O b6? This is an elementary mistake. Black should play 9 ... Nd7 because it's less committal. Now is a good time to compare this variation with the Semi-Slav: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bxf6 Qxf6, and now Black will often play ... Qd8 before finishing his development with ... Be7 and ... Nd7. He is then a couple of tempi behind our game, but since he hasn't castled, White has to decide first which side to castle on. 10 h4 Bb7? 11 cxd5 exd5 12 g4 Now Black cannot avoid the opening of the h-file. If 12 ... g6 13 g5 Bg7 14 h5. In this variation, 13 ... hxg5 is the best practical chance, but after 14 hxg5 Bg7 Black has continuing problems on the kingside. To avoid this Black might have played 10 ... g6, to be followed by ... Bg7, so that he could later have replied to g5 by pushing his h-pawn. 12 ... c5? 13 g5 hxg5 14 hxg5 Bxg5 15 Nxg5 Qxg5 16 f4 Qe7 17 Bd3 f5 18 Qh2 Black must lose lots of material just to avoid mate. 18 ... Nd7 19 Bxf5 Rxf5 20 Qh7+ Kf7 21 Qxf5+ Nf6 22 Rdg1 Rg8 23 Rg3 Bc8 24 Qg6+ Kf8 25 Rhg1 cxd4? This makes an already hopeless position worse. I missed that after 26 exd4, I couldn't play 26 ... Qc7? 27 Qxf6+. 26 exd4 Be6 27 Re3 Qd7 28 Qg5 Ne4 29 Qe5 Kf7 30 Nxe4 dxe4 31 Rc3 Resigns