White: John Bartholomew
Black: Ed Formanek
U.S. Masters, Chicago, March 2003
French Defense, Winawer variation

 1. e4 e6
 2. d4 d5 
 3. Nc3 Bb4 
 4. e5 Ne7 
 5. a3 B:c3+
 6. b:c3 b6
 7. a4

    DeFirmian, in MCO-14, recommends 7 Qg4, as "there is no painless way to
    defend g7."  Bartholomew's move is logical but not as sharp.

 7. ... Ba6
 8. Bb5+ B:b5?!!

    Surely 8 ... c6 9 Bxa6 Nxa6, followed by ... Nc7 and ... Qd7, was a fairly
    solid defense.  With the text, Black will get a passed a-pawn, but there
    are big risks.
 
 9. a:b5 Qd7
10. Qd3 c6
11. b:c6 Nb:c6 
12. Ne2 Na5 
13. O-O h5
14. Bg5

    If Black had been thinking about queenside castling, this move prevents it.
    14 ... O-O-O? 15 Qa6+ Kb8 16 Bxe7 Qxe7 17 Rxa5 wins, as 17 ... bxa5 18 Rb1+
    forces mate.  But kingside castling is also out of the question; White owns
    that side of the board.

14. ... Nf5
15. Qh3!?

    A remarkable concept:  White pins the h-pawn against the rook.

15. ... Qb5
16. Nf4 Kd7!

    Formanek's king takes the alternate French Defense escape route.  In any
    case 16 ... g6 doesn't work:  17 g4 Ng7 18 Bf6 Kf8 19 gxh5, or 17 ... Ne7
    18 Bxe7 Kxe7 19 Qh4+ and 20 Qf6.

17. N:h5 Qe2
18. g4 Nh6
19. B:h6 R:h6

    White is now poised to start a pawn storm.  Black must play alertly to
    hold it back.

20. Rac1 Rg6

    20 ... Nc4 allows 21 Rfe1 Qd2 22 Qf3 Rf8 23 h4 Rg6 24 Rfd1 Qh6 25 g5.

21. f3 Qe3+?

    Black loses patience and takes a pawn.  Instead, I think that 21 ... Nc4
    holds the balance.  White can lose by overreaching:  22 Rfe1 Qd2 23 f4?
    Rh8! 24 g5? Rxh5!    

22. Kh1 Q:c3
23. Qg3 Rh8 

    After 23 ... Qxd4 24 g5 Rh8 25 Nf4 Qxe5 26 Rg1 wins the exchange.  Perhaps
    Black overlooked this when playing his 21st move.

24. Qf4 Ke8
25. Rfd1 Nc4
26. Rd3 Qb4
27. h3 Qe7
28. Qh2 Kd7 
29. f4 Kc6 
30. Rf1 f5
31. g:f5 e:f5
32. Ng3 Qe6 
33. Ne2 b5
34. Rg1 Rhh6 
35. Rg5 Rh8
36. Qg2 R:g5 
37. f:g5 Rd8
38. Nf4 Qe7 
39. Qf3 a5

    Black shows commendable sangfroid in the face of the destruction of his
    kingside and center.
 
40. Qh5 Qe8
41. Qh7 Qf7
42. e6 Qf8
43. Qg6 Qe7 
44. Q:f5 a4
45. Qf7?

    Diagram after 44 ... a4:  3r4/4q1p1/2k1P3/1p1p1QP1/p1nP1N2/3R3P/2P5/7K

    White must have considered and rejected 45 Ng6, but that move is the way
    to win, and this is a turning point.  After 45 Ng6 Black has (A) 45 ... Qd6
    or (B) 45 ... Qb4.  (45 ... Qc7 looks about equivalent to 45 ... Qd6.)

    After (A) 45 ... Qd6 46 e7 Re8 47 Qf7 Qd7, it appears that Black can hunker
    down; for instance 48 Re3 Kb6! (but not 48 ... Nxe3 49 Ne5+, or 48 ... Kb7
    49 Nf8 Qc6 50 Ne6 with complications favoring White) 49 Rf3 Kc6! (White
    threatened 50 Qxe8+ and 51 Rf8).  Instead of 46 e7 White should play 46 Qf7,
    with 47 e7 on the way; then if 46 ... Ra8 47 e7 Qd7 48 Nf8 Qe8 49 Qe6+
    pries loose some important material.

    After (B) 45 ... Qb4, Black threatens 46 ... Qb1+, but White stops this
    with 46 Rd1, and Black has no move to interrupt the attack.  If 46 ... Ne3
    47 e7!, and now 47 ... Re8 48 Qf7, or 47 ... Ra8 48 Qe6+, and if now
    48 ... Qd6 49 e8+, or 48 ... Kc7 49 Qxe3.

45. ... Re8
46. Qf5 Qd6

    Black rejects repetition by 46 ... Rd8; White might then have changed his
    mind about 47 Ng6.

47. Qf7 Rf8

    Black again rejects repetition, but White finds a combination to win the
    exchange.  Did Black miss this, or was he afraid of something worse?

48. Ng6! R:f7
49. e:f7 Q:g6
50. f8:Q Qe4+
51. Kg1 Qe1+ 
52. Kh2 Qe2+
53. Kg3 Qe1+
54. Qf2 Qe7
55. h4 b4
56. Qf4 a3 
57. Rd1 Qe3+!??

    A startling decision.  White could hardly have avoided a draw after
    57 ... Qe2 58 Qf3 Qxc2 59 Re1 a2.  Instead Black forces the pace.

58. Qf3

    58 Qxe3 Nxe3 59 Rc1 is critical.

    Diagram:  8/6p1/2k5/3p2P1/1p1P3P/p3n1K1/2P5/2R5

    Black can't stop the kingside pawns:  59 ... Kd7 60 h5 Ke7 51 Re1!  So he
    must sacrifice on c2:  59 ... Nxc2 60 Rxc2+ Kb5 (60 ... Kb6? 61 Ra2)
    61 h5 b3 62 Rc5+ Kb4 63 h6 a2! (not 63 ... gxh6 64 gxh6 and White's new
    queen on h8 will guard the d-pawn) 64 hxg7 a1Q 65 g8Q Qg1+, and Black will
    get a perpetual, because White must not allow him to take the d-pawn with
    check.
 
58. ... Kb5 
59. Kg2 Ka4
60. Q:d5 Qe2+
61. Kg3 Q:c2!
62. Qc6+?

    This is probably a fatal error.  62 Rf1 would have left the outcome in
    doubt.  Time pressure played a role at this point.

62. ... Kb3
63. Qf3+ Kb2
64. Rf1 a2 
65. Qh1

    If 65 Rf2 Nd2 66 Qg2 a1Q! 67 Rxd2 Qe1+ 68 Rf2 Qe3+, and if now 69 Rf3 Qxg2+,
    or 69 Qf3 Qcxf2+, winning.

65. ... Nd2
66. Rd1 Nb1
67. Time forfeit by white