0174 FRENCH DEFENSE
Wendy's XXIV, Rd:1, 4-4-01, Charlotte, NC
NM G Wells (2072) Patrick McCartney (1942)
1 e4 e6 2 b3 d5 3 Bb2 de4 4 Nc3 Nf6 5 Qe2 Be7 6 Nxe4 0-0 7 0-0-0 a5 8 d4 c6 9 Nf3 a4 10 Ne5 ab3 11 ab3 Qa5 12 Nc4 Qa7 13 Nf6 Bf6 14 f4 Rd8 15 Qe4 Nd7 16 g4 Nc5 17 Qe3 (17 dc5?? Qa1 18 Ba1 Ra1#) 17...Na6 18 g5 Be7 19 c3 Nc7 20 Kc2 Nd5 21 Qe4 b5 22 Ra1 Qa1!? (Believe it or not, Fritz still gives this position as assessment of =/+, though 22...Qb7 gives Black an even bigger advantage) 23 Ba1 Ra1 24 Nb2 Ra2 25 Bd3 g6 26 Rb1 Bd6 27 c4 Nb4 28 Kc3 Na6 (Here 28...bc4 -/+ is better) 29 c5 (Here was White's one chance to equalize with 29 cb5 cb5 30 Bb5 =) 29...Bc7 30 Qc6?? (A horrible blunder that gives Black a clearly won position. Best is 30 Rf1 =/+) 30...Ba5 31 b4 Ra3 32 Kd2 Nb4 33 Qe4 Nd3 (33...Rd4 34 Qd4 Nc6 35 Ke3 Nd4 36 Kd4 is still better for Black, but it does increase White's odds of drawing.) 34 Ke2 Nb2 35 Rb2 Bc3 36 Rb1 Rd4 (Not 36...Bd4?? 37 Rd1 Re3 38 Qe3 Be3 39 Rd8 Kg7 40 Rc8 +-) 37 Qc6 Rd2 38 Kf1 Ba6 39 f5 b4 40 Kg1 gf5 41 h4 (This allows an immediate mate in 2, but either way, Black was threatening 41...Bd4 42 Kh1 Raa2 with mate soon after that.) 41...Bd4 0-1 (Notes by McCartney)