[Event "SA Open, A section"]
[Site "Durban"]
[Date "2024.07.06"]
[Round "10.5"]
[White "Rust,Keith"]
[Black "Mwale,Joseph"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "2070"]
[Annotator "Keith"]
[Source "Keith Rust"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 Be6 8.Nge2 $5 (8.Nf3 Nbd7 9.O-O O-O 10.h3 {is well known}) h6 9.Bh4 c5 $6 {this weakens his d-pawn} 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.0-0 0-0 12.Rc1 Be7 13.Nb5 $6 (13.Nf4) Nc6 14.Nbd4 Qb6 15.Qb3 Nb4 $5 {going for tactics, as usual} (15...Qxb3 $10) 16.Bb1 a5 17.a3 a4 $1 18.Qd1 Nc6 {I now had a long think, trying to get Bxf6, Nxe6 or Nxc6, and Qc2 to work} 19.Nxe6 $6 fxe6 20.Qc2 {%clk 00:55:09} Ne4 $2 {%clk 01:24:46 played quickly to stop my threat} (20...Rfc8 {was good}) 21.Bxe7 Nxe7 22.Qc7 $1 {I think Joseph missed this, as he had his first think of the game} Nc8 $6 (22...Qxc7 23.Rxc7 Nc6 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Rxb7 $16) (22...Qxb2 23.Qxe7 Qxe2 24.Qxe6+) 23.Bxe4 $1 {smashing his pawn structure} dxe4 24.Ng3 Qxb2 25.Rb1 $1 Qf6 (25...Qxa3 $2 26.Rxb7 Ne7 27.Qxe7 {should win, as the a-pawn can be stopped}) 26.Rxb7 Rf7 27.Qc6 $1 {after another long think} (27.Qxf7+ $2 Qxf7 28.Rxf7 Kxf7 29.Nxe4 Rb8) (27.Nxe4 $5) e5 28.Qd5 $1 Ra6 29.Nxe4 {this gets a better ending, but I missed something even stronger} (29.Rb8 $1 Qc6 30.Qxe5 {wins}) Qe6 30.Qxe6 {%clk 00:26:23} Rxe6 {%clk 01:00:45} 31.Rxf7 Kxf7 32.Nc5 Rc6 33.Nxa4 Rc2 (33...Ra6 34.Nb2 Rxa3 35.Nc4 Ra2 36.Nxe5+ {was my idea}) 34.Rb1 Nd6 35.Nb6 Ne4 36.f3 Nd2 $6 {badly placed} 37.Rb4 $1 Ke6 38.e4 Rc1+ 39.Kf2 Rc2 40.Ke1 $1 Kd6 41.a4 Kc5 42.Rb5+ Kc6 (42...Kd4 $2 {fails to} 43.Rd5+ Ke3 44.Rxd2 Rxd2 45.Nc4+) 43.Nd5 Kd6 44.Kd1 {wins a piece} Ra2 45.Nc3 Ra1+ 46.Kxd2 Rg1 47.g4 Rg2+ 48.Ke3 Rxh2 49.Rd5+ Ke6 50.Rd2 Rh1 51.Ra2 Kd6 52.a5 Kc7 53.a6 Kb8 54.a7+ Ka8 55.Nd5 1-0