White: Jeff Schragin
Black: Rob Nicholson
Pittsburgh Chess League, round 1, September 2003
Rocky's Rooks I vs. Phalanx I

 1 d4    d5
 2 Nf3   Nc6
 3 g3    Bg4
 4 Bg2   Qd7!

   Against a less accurate sequence, such as 4 ... e6 5 O-O Nf6,
   White could keep the initiative by 6 c4, since after 6 ... dxc4
   or 6 ... Bxf3 7 Bxf3 dxc4, White would regain his pawn "with
   interest" by Qa4.

   But now, 5 c4 just leaves White struggling for equality after
   5 ... Bxf3 6 Bxf3 dxc4, and even 5 O-O Bh3 is an easy game for
   Black.  NCO gives the following variation:  5 h3 Bh5 6 c3 f6
   7 Bf4 e6 8 Nbd2 Bd6 9 Bxd6 Qxd6 10 O-O Nge7 11 c4 (finally).

   By the way, an even less accurate move is 4 ... Nf6, met by 5 Ne5!,
   either getting a bishop for knight, or ruining Black's pawn
   structure; my own game with Nicholson from the 2001 Summer Open
   went that way.

 5 Nc3

   Lacking a good idea for the offense, White imitates Black's defense.

 5 ...   O-O-O

   Less committal would be 5 ... e6, to answer 6 Bf4 with ... Bd6.

 6 Bf4   f6
 7 Qd2   e5?!!

   Unconvincing is 7 ... g5 8 Be3 e5.  Then 9 dxe5 loses a piece to 9 ... d4,
   but instead White gets counterplay by 9 h4.  Relatively safer was 7 ... e6;
   Black could still answer 8 Nb5 with 8 ... e5.  With the text, Black
   sacrifices some pawns to win a piece.  White can decline the sac with
   8 Be3, but this is unappealing.

 8 dxe5  g5
 9 Nxg5!

   Of course.  Now 9 ... fxg5 10 Bxg5 Re8 11 Nxd5 (or 11 f4) Nxe5
   looks unclear.  Perhaps Black should have played this.  His problem now
   and for the next several moves is that, because of the pawns lost, he has
   to win back a whole piece--winning two pieces for a rook isn't enough.

 9 ...   fxe5
10 h3    Bh5

   10 ... exf4 11 hxg4 fxg3 looks playable.

11 Bxd5

   Threatening 12 Be6.

11 ...   Qe8
12 Ne6   Rd6

   12 ... exf4 13 Nxd8 Nxd8 14 Qxf4 Bg7 15 O-O is good for White.

13 Nxf8  exf4

   Black can't make use of the pin after 13 ... Qxf8 14 Be3 threatening
   15 Bc5.

14 Qxf4

   I think this is too slow.  White should have played 14 g4.

14 ...   Rxd5

   This looks cute, but it doesn't get Black out of the woods.  Instead
   it seems to me that 14 ... Nge7 wins the whole piece.

15 g4    Rd8
16 Nb5!  Ne5

   15 ... Qe7 was better.  On 16 Ne6 Black answers 16 ... Bg6 and can
   still put up a fight.

17 Qf5+  Kb8
18 Nxc7! Qc6

   On 18 ... Kxc7 19 Ne6+ Black gets crushed.

19 O-O   Qxc7
20 Ne6   Qd6
21 Nxd8  Bxg4
22 hxg4  Nh6
23 Qe6   Qd4

   Objectively 23 ... Rxd8 is best, but after 24 Qxd6+ Rxd6 25 Rad1 White's
   pawns and rook will overwhelm the knights in the endgame.  So Black goes
   looking for tricks, but White handles it easily.

24 Rfd1 Qf4 25 Qd6+ Ka8 26 Rd4 Qg5 27 Ne6 Qg8 28 Nc7+ Kb8 29 Ne8+, Black
resigns.