(1) Bob,Zuk (2250) - Mike,Murray (2060) [C13]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Ne4 6.Nxe4 Bxg5 7.Nxg5 Qxg5 8.g3 Qe7 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.f4 Bd7 11.Nf3 0-0-0 I got the idea of ...Nc6, ....Bd7 and a quick ... 0-0-0 from Lasker's old "Manual of Chess".

12.c3 f6 13.Bg2 fxe5 14.fxe5 h6 Against a much stronger player, placing my hopes in an opposite side castling attack seemed as good an idea as any. Zuk evidently wanted to stay away from the wild stuff and just sqeeze me to death.

15.0-0 Be8 16.b4 g5 17.Ne1 Bg6 18.Nd3 Rdf8 19.Nc5 b6 20.Nb3 Rxf1+ 21.Bxf1 Rf8 22.a4 h5 23.a5 h4 24.Bb5 Nd8 25.Rf1 Rxf1+ 26.Bxf1 hxg3 27.hxg3 Be4 28.Qh2 Qf8 29.Nd2 Bg6 30.Qf2 Qh6 31.Qf6 g4 32.Qf4 Nf7 33.Be2 Qxf4 34.gxf4 Nh6 35.Nf1 Kd7 36.Ne3 Bf5 37.axb6 axb6 38.Kf2 c5 ?! Zuk had been increasing his edge bit by bit and, here, I lost patience. I hoped to pick off his isolated and doubled extra Pawn, but should have just hunkered down with [38...Ke7 ]

39.Bb5+ Kc7 40.bxc5 bxc5 41.dxc5 Be4 42.Kg3 Bf3 43.Be8 [Better would be 43.f5 exf5 44.e6 Ng8 45.Nxf5 Kd8 46.c6 and Black is stretched past the breaking point.]

43...Kd8 44.Bb5 Kc7 45.Nc2 ? Again, [45.f5 would give White the same position as in the previous note.]

45...Nf5+ 46.Kf2 Be4 47.Nd4 g3+ 48.Kg1 Ng7 49.Bf1 Bf5 50.Be2 Bh3 51.Bf3 Kd7 52.Bg2 Bg4 53.Bf1 Kc7 54.Kg2 Nh5 55.Bb5 Bf5 56.Bf1 ? White's advantage has gradually been eroding, and with this move, it's completely gone.

56...Be4+ 57.Kh3 g2 58.Bxg2 Nxf4+ 59.Kg3 Nxg2 60.Nxe6+ Kc6 61.Ng7 Ne3 62.Kf4 Nc4 63.e6 Kxc5 64.e7 Nd6 65.e8Q Nxe8 66.Nxe8 Bh1 1/2-1/2