1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.b3 g6 5.Bb2 Bg7 6.Bd3 0-0 7.Nbd2 Nbd7 8.0-0 Qc7 9.c4 b6 10.Qc2 Bb7 11.a3 Rfd8 12.Rfd1 Rac8 13.Rac1 Nf8 14.Ne5 Ne6 15.Ndf3 Nd7 16.cxd5 Bxd5 17.Nxd7 Bxf3 This messes up White's kingside protective pawns, and is the source of later trouble. I think Don was expecting me to take the knight on d7 immediately, as in: [17...Rxd7 18.e4 Bb7 19.d5 ]

18.gxf3 Rxd7 19.Ba6 Rcd8 20.Bb5 Rd5 21.h4 Rh5 22.Qe4 Bf6 23.Kf1 Rxh4? In my eagerness to implement my obvious idea I missed the killing: [23...Qh2 ]

24.f4 Ng5 25.Qg2 Ne6 26.Ba1 Ng7 27.Bd3 Qb8 28.Be4 and now is the time for mass exchanges on d4.

28...cxd4 29.Bxd4 Bxd4 30.Rxd4 Rxd4 31.exd4 Rxf4 This is what I saw on move 28. What I did not see came after Don played:

32.Bb7 The threat is clearly Rc8+. I spent a good 10 minutes on this position, finally playing just about the weakest continuation. But there is a miracle save, when Black actually increases his advantange. What is it? A great tactic, that surpasses the powers of a pair of class B players.

32...Qf8?? 33.Rc8 Ne8 34.Qc6 Rf6 35.Qa4 b5 36.Qxb5 Rb6 37.Qa4 Rxb7 38.Rxe8 Qxe8 39.Qxe8+ Kg7 40.b4 Rc7 41.Qb8 Rd7 42.Qe5+ f6 43.Qe3 Kf7 44.Qc3 Kf8 45.Qc8+ 1-0