1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7

Not 5...dxc4 today!

6.e3 Qa5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd2 Bb4 9.Rc1 0–0! 10.Bd3 h6 11.Bh4 e5 12.0–0! Re8 13.e4 Nxc3

If I reach this position again I shall probably pick 13...Nf4

14.bxc3 Ba3 15.Rb1 Be7

Despite my comment on move 13 I have had the game up to here before! On that occasion I won nicely, so I saw no reason to deviate.

16.Bxe7

16.Bg3 Bf6 17.Rfd1 b6 18.d5 Nc5 19.c4 Qxd2 20.Rxd2 Ba6 21.Ne1 Rad8 22.Rc2 cxd5 23.exd5 Nxd3 24.Nxd3 Rxd5! won a pawn and the game,;Bigg,A-Taylor,M/Ron Banwell mem 2002 (9)/0–1

16...Rxe7 17.Qc2 b6 18.Rbe1!

White quite correctly realises the b file is of no use, but that his chances lie on the kingside.

18...Ba6 19.Nh4 Rae8 20.Bxa6 Qxa6 21.dxe5

21.Nf5 Re6 22.f4 (with or without exchanging the bishop) was what worried me. Fritz is not afraid of the big White centre, but I thought it would be dangerous.

21...Rxe5 22.f4 Ra5 23.Re2 Qc4 24.e5

24.Rf3 Rh5!? and White has no ideal way to solve the problem of the knight.

24...Rd5

I completely overlooked the possibility of 24...Nxe5 but in fact it just loses to 25.Re4

25.Re4 Qd3

Getting the queens off is my standard procedure but here it's also the right thing to do, since it eliminates White's attacking chances.