I can't seem to do bold text without much trouble, so the game moves will not be bolded. However, the title is easy enough.
Gillis-O'Sullivan
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bb4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 Nb6 10.d5- Previously he tried 10.Bb5 and after 10...e6 11.Be3 a6 my position was much better as his dark square bishop had no prospects. The move 10.d5 is an improvement as it forces me to be careful, but Rybka likes 10.Be3 with the idea of O-O-O to play d5 at the perfect moment. This idea will prevent me from playing the 9...Nb6 line in the future because I think it is good for white. Instead black gets a great game after 9...e6 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11.Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+ Ke7 13.Qxb5 Qd7 where white is left with only a worse pawn structure to show for his efforts.
10...Nd4- I had to decide between this and 10...Ne5. Ne5 is worse because after 11.Be2, f4 will come and the pawns get moving against my king. My knight could get kicked around.
11.Bb5+ - I thought this move made no sense because the bishop can become strong later, but it is book. That being said, Qd1 is a stronger move because it keeps material on the board.
11...Nxb5 12.Qxb5- A day after this game, my opponent said to me that he found Nxb5 to be better in his analysis. This is a correct evaluation, as the attacking player should not usually even provide chances to simplify.
12...Qd7 13.Qxd7+ Kxd7- The King is correct in the center here. This is the second game against Doug Gillis that this type of Queen exchange has occurred. Better was leaving the Queen on b5 and developing a piece to keep winning chances alive.
14.Bf4 a6- I felt stopping Nb5 was critical
15.O-O-O Rc8 16.Kb1 g6 17.Rhe1 Bg7 18.Be5- White needs the Bishops to stay on the board so the threat of d6 will hang in the air. It is not immediately good because I can respond with e6, but if my e-pawn moves or is taken the Bishop will be a strong piece.
18...Bxe5 19.Rxe5 Nc4 20.Re2 Nd6- I saw nothing in 20...Na3+ 21.Ka1, and I thought my best chance was to blockade the d5 pawn and gang up on it with an eventual rook lift.
21.Ne4- Here my opponent missed a chance with 21.Na4 Rc7 22.Nb6+ Kd8 disrupting the coordination of my rooks.
21...Rc7 22.Rc1 Rhc8 23.Rec2- I calculated for just a few minutes and saw that his knight was not good enough to ensure an immediate draw, and I did not see anything else but to exchange here.
23...Rxc2 24.Rxc2 Rxc2 25.Kxc2- My plan is to limit his Knight and slowly work my King to the Kingside while my Knight holds his King at bay on the Queenside.
25...b6- taking away c5
26.Ng5- My opponent missed that my Knight guarded f7. Better was Kd3
26...h6 27.Ne4 Nb5 28.Kd3 f5 29.Nc3 Nxc3- I felt that I had enough resources to stop his central pawns. If he cannot push them I win the game.
30.bxc3 Kd6 31.Kd4 g5 32.h3 h5- My Kingside pawns are ominous and Whites resources are thinning.
33.a3??- This move loses to 33...h4 because of an eventual g4 pawn sacrifice and the h-pawn queens.
33...e5+?- I had been planning this move for some time, and it is a strong move, but I missed the winning shot 33...h4. Now there is still work to be done.
34.dxe6 Kxe6 35.f4 gxf4 36.f3- I do not understand this move, as it is always good to keep pawn moves in reserve to avoid zugzwang in King and pawn endings.
36...Kd6 37.h4 Ke6 38.Kc4 Ke5 39.a4 Kd6 40.Kd4 Kd6 41.Kc4 Kc6?- I am still better, but I missed that now Ke5 is winning because he cannot play a4 like he had previously.
42.Kd4 b5??- After 43.axb5 the game is a dead draw because 43...Kxb5 44.Kd5 a5 45.c4+ Kb6 46.Kd6 Kb7 47.Kd7 Kb6 48.Kd6 and no progress can be made
43.a5??- The losing move, but we both thought this was the best way for white. I am lucky to have gotten this win.
43...Kd6 44.c4 b4 45.c5+ Kc6 46.Kc4 b3 47.Kxb3 Kxc5 48.Ka4 Kc4 0-1
I feel like my play in this game was well-reasoned and solid, and aside from missing 33...h4 and the 41...Ke5 idea I made no mistakes and proved once again that a well-played Caro-Kann is difficult to crack.
