0276 ALEKHINE DEFENSE
Wendy's XLI, Rd:1, 12-12-02, Charlotte, NC
Bernard Baker (1575)  Chris Callahan (1452)
1 e4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 e5 Ne4 4 d4 (More conventional is 4 Nce2 intending to play d4 and trap the knight, after this, play resembles a french winawer except Black still has the dark squared bishop) 4 ... Nc3 5 bc3 c5 6 f4 Nc6 7 Bb5 (Commits White to exchanging his "good" bishop,  perhaps could have been more useful on the kingside) 7...Qb6 8 Bc6+ Qc6 9 Be3 (White does well to delay Nf3, so as not to allow Bg4 and e6 without loss of tempo) 9...Bf5 10 Nf3 e6 11 O-O Be7 12 h3 h6 (I considered 12 h4 with maybe c5 to follow and either queen-side castling or leaving the king in the center, with a kingside attack to follow, but this seemed a bit risky and probably unjustifiable considering whites extra space and superior forces in that sector) 13 a4 O-O 14 g4 Bh7 15 h4 Rac8 16 g5 h5 17 g6 Bg6 18 Ng5 cd4 19 Bd4 Bc5 (I'd rather not relieve him of such a bad bishop, but I had to get my Queen-side play going and this seemed like the only way) 20 Rf2 Bd4 21 cd4 Qc3 (It would seem that Black broke through first) 22 Kh2 Rc4 23 Qg1 Rd4 24 Ne6 (A good attempt to complicate things, I had initially dismissed this move because after Qxg6  the rook is hanging, however things are not so clear) 24...fe6 25 Qg6 Rdf4 (Perhaps practically if not objectively the best move, Qa1 wins too but over the board why take the chance of missing something? My computer tells me after 25 ...Qa1 26 Qe6+ Kh8 27 Qe7 Rdf4 black is still winning) 26 Qe6 (After 26 Rf4? I could play the zwischenzug Qe5! saving the e pawn) 26...Kh7 27 Raf1 (After 27 Rf4 Rf4 White can only avoid mate by conceeding a fatal Queen trade via 28 Qh3 Qc2+) 27...Rf2 0-1