0252 FRENCH DEFENSE
Wendy's XXXVIII, Rd:4, 9-11-02, Charlotte, NC
NM L Fuerstman (2021) Dave Richards (1719)
1 e4 d5 2 e5 c5 3 c3 Nc6 4 d4 c4?! 5 a4 Bf5 6 b3 Qb6?! 7 Nbd? (White should simply win the pawn with 7 bc for if 7...Bb1 8 cd! N any 9 Bb5! followed by Rb1 +-) 7...Nh6? (Losing a Pawn) 8 bc e6 9 c5 Bc5!? 10 dc Qc5 11 Qb3 Ng4 12 Nh3 Nge5 13 Ba3 Qa5 14 Nf4 g5 15 Nh5 0-0-0! 16 f4 gf 17 Nf4 d5 18 Rc Kb 19 Bb5 dc 20 Qc3 Qc3 21 Rc3 Nd4 22 Be7! Nb5 23 ab? (Better is (a) 23 Bd8 Nc3 24 Bf6! Rc8 25 Be5 Ka 26 Bc3 Rc3 0-0 and the piece up ending is still a struggle or (b) 23 Rc5! when everything hangs) 23...Nd3 24 Nd3 Rd3 25 Bf6 Rc3 26 Bc3 Rc8 27 Be5 Ka 28 0-0 Rc5= (Black's queenside connected passers could cause some trouble!) 29 Bg3 Rb5 30 Rc e5 31 Ne4 Rd5 32 Nf6 Rb 33 Ne8 Ra5 34 Nd6 Be6 35 Nf7 e4! 36 Rd a6? 37 Bf2? (White misses the simple 37 Rd8! Ka7 38 Bb8! Kb6 39 Rd6! or 38...Ka8 39 Bc7) 37...Rd5 38 Rc b5-= 39 Nh6 a5! (This sucks...) 40 Be3 b4 41 Rc6 Bd7 42 Ra3 Kb7 43 Rb6 Kc7 44 Ra6 a4 45 Nf7 (This really sucks) b3! 46 Ra7 Kb8 47 Ra6 b2? (Black missed 47...Rd1 48 Kf2 Rf1! 49 Kf1 Bb5! winning) 48 Rb6 Kc8 49 Rb2 a3 50 Ra2 Rd3 51 Bc5 e3 52 Kf1 Bg4! 53 Be3 Re3 54 Nd6 Kd7 55 Nc4! Be2!! (This still sucks, but Black has less than one minute left) 56 Re2 Re2 57 Na3! Ra2 58 Nc4 Ke5 59 Ne3 (and soon afterward Black lost on time) 1-0 (Notes by Fuerstman)