Welcome to my Queens Gambit Declined (ECO D48) game with McNiff page!

On this page I have posted one my chess games in the Queens Gambit Declined. The ratings below are what each of us was at the end of the game. The game was played at ICC. This is the second time that I attempted to play the Cambridge Springs defense and my opponent side stepped it. I ended up transposing into the QGD semi-Slav: Meran, Reynolds' variation. This is my opponent's first completed correspondence game at ICC. This game is a perfect example of what happens when my opponent gets me into an opening that I don't know. I was using MCO - 14 as a guide, but McNiff took my out of my book. After losing this game I downloaded a database of games with just the Meran and tried to find some improvements on what I played. I think that in the future I will just avoid transposing into the Meran all together!

[Event "ICC correspondence 2007Quad.04.10"]
[Site "Internet Chess Club"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "-"]
[White "McNiff"]
[Black "OnGoldenPawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ICCResult "Black resigns"]
[Opening "QGD semi-Slav: Meran, Reynolds' variation"]
[ECO "D48"]
[NIC "SL.09"]
[Time "20:54:28"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8.
Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 exd5 11. e5 Ng4 12. Bg5 f6 13. exf6 Ndxf6 14. h3 Nh6
15. O-O Be7 16. Re1 O-O 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Be4 Bb7 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Bxb7
Qxd1 21. Raxd1 Rae8 22. Bxa6 b4 23. Bb5 {Black resigns} 1-0

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3

I was hoping for 4. Bg5 here or on the next move. Playing 4... Nbd7 was an option here as well as 4... c6 and would have been more consistent with trying to play the Cambridge Springs defense.

c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5

Now I have transposed into the semi-Slav. I am still in my book at this point.

8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5

I have found a few games where Black had played 9... Bb7 and 9... b4 and did fairly well with each move. These are to be considered instead of 9... c5. MCO - 14 gives 10. e5 here and does not mention 10. d5 at all! This is where I got out of my book and had to figure a few things out for myself.

10. d5 exd5

Looking through my database of games I found several alternatives for 10... exd5 here. Black has tried 10... Bb7 and lost that game. Black has tried 10... Nb6 and won that game. Black has tried 10... e5 and lost twice and drew once. Black has tried 10... c4 and lost twice. It looks like 10... Nb6 is my best try here, but I may try to avoid this position all together in the future! The game Puc, S versus Nilsson, Z, YUG-Sweden, 1950 continued with 11. exd5 and White eventually won.

11. e5 Ng4 12. Bg5 f6 13. exf6

The game Uhlmann, Wolfgang versus Fuchs, Reinhart, Schwein, 1951 continued with 13... gxf6 14. Bf4 Bb7 and White eventually won. I knew that after 13... Ndxf6 14. h3 Nh6 15. Bxh6 gxh6 my kingside pawn structure would be shattered and my King would be rather naked. White turned out to have a better idea!

Ndxf6 14. h3 Nh6 15. O-O Be7 16. Re1 O-O 17. Nxd5!

This apparent Knight sacrifice turns out to win material unless Black plays the next few move precisely! White simultaneously applies pressure to the Black Knight at d5 and the Black Bishop at e7 and Black has a hard time holding onto both!

Nxd5 18. Be4 Bb7

At this point I was expecting 19. Bxd5+ Bxd5 20. Bxe7 Bxf3 21. Qxd8 Rfxd8 22. Bxd8 Rxd8 23. gxf3 and White is up a Rook versus a Knight. The only way to avoid losing material after 19. Bxe7 is to play 19... Qxe7. I saw that I would lose my Queen after 19... Qxe7 20. Bxh7+ Kxh7 21. Rxe7. What I missed was that after 21... Nxe7 22. Qc2+ Kh8 23. Qxc5 Nc6 I end up with a Rook, Knight and Bishop for a Queen and two pawns. The material is even at this point instead of my being down.

19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Bxb7 Qxd1 21. Raxd1 Rae8 22. Bxa6

The only way to save the Knight at e7 is to give up the pawn at b5. That would leave Black down two pawns and trying to stop a passed pawn on the a file. I tried to save the b pawn and then realized afterwards that I could no longer save my Knight at e7!

b4 23. Bb5 1-0

I resigned here because I realized that after 23... Rb8 24. Bc4+ saves White's Bishop and leaves the Black Knight at e7 hanging. I considered playing 23... Kf7 and 23... Nf7 giving up the Rook for a Bishop, but I would also still be down a pawn and that would make the endgame too hard to hold onto.

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