Last night, I played Daniel Miller in the first round of the Club Knockout competition. I was lucky to escape with a draw. The replay will be on our next free Tuesday.
I was Black and the game opened with a solid anti-Sicilian line, the Moscow Variation. I obtained a reasonable position of the opening, but rather than aim for the thematic …f5 break, I was instead tempted into playing the weakening …h5 move. I compounded my error by later playing …f5, when my position became dangerously exposed. Fortunately for me, as both players started to run very short of time, my opponent decided – quite reasonably – to force matters, but was unable to find the correct line; this allowed me to create sufficient counter-play, and I was able to give up a piece to force perpetual check.
I give the game below with some notes.