E38 Nimzo-Indian: Classical, 4...c5 (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5)

This was the third game in a row that I played against Nestor Oprysk, the two games before this one I was able to win. We played these games close to midnight and this was the only one of the three games that was played on a different day. This is also currently my latest game from the FIDE Online Arena. I had a very good start for this game, I had strong enough advantage that should have meant a third win against Nestor. However, I am able to mess up almost any good game and my technique starts to prove faulty on move 21. After my move 21...Rc8 both players play some horrible moves, but I regain my winning advantage shortly after the blunder 23.Qa3. I stumble near the finish line with 27...gxh5 and after that I am just lost, but I continued the game a couple of moves longer.

Both players played reasonable moves only up to my 4th move c5. In that position my opponent blundered with the move 5.Bg5. In the next diagram is shown the position in which Nestor Oprysk played 5.Bg5?? Allowing me to reply with 5...cxd4 and I should have been on my merry way to victory.

Like I typed above, up to move 21...Rc8 that I played in the diagram position below, I pretty much threw my win away. I completely missed the brilliant move 22.Rxh7, which would have been the material equalizing move. I could not have taken the rook because of the mate that would soon follow 23.Rh4+ Kg8 and either 24.Rh8# or 24.Qh8# finishes the game.

The game continued with the horrible 22.h3 and I got another opportunity to play e5 and close the long diagonal and prevent the move Rxh7 from working. I just kept playing on the queenside, not at all looking what my opponent could do on the kingside. Luckily for me, my opponent did not see the golden opportunity either and just played 23.Qa3, attacking the pawns on a7 and b5. Unfortunately for Nestor Oprysk, the queen move also took the opportunity to play Rxh7 away from my opponent. After that I was going towards a win once again. Until I played 27...gxh5 in the next diagram position that is.

From a winning position I went to a losing position, out of which I could not get out of. Couple of moves later I accepted my loss, because I faced a mate that I could not avoid.

[Event "Challenge 37292318"] [Site "online arena"] [Date "2016.01.29"] [Round "1"] [White "Oprysk, Nestor"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E38"] [WhiteElo "1699"] [BlackElo "1859"] [Annotator "Stockfish 8 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 {E38 Nimzo-Indian: Classical, 4...c5} 5. Bg5 (5. d5 exd5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e4 Ne7 8. a3 Ba5 9. Be3 d6 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. Bf4 Bg4 12. Be2 Bxe2 13. Ngxe2 Nbc6 14. Bxd6 Qc8 15. O-O O-O 16. Bxc5 Re8 17. Nb5 Qe6 18. Nd6 Reb8 19. Nf4 Qh6 {Dobrov,V (2515) -Gustafsson,J (2614) playchess.com INT 2006 1-0}) (5. e4 cxd4 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 dxc3 8. e5 Ng8 9. Bd3 Qa5 10. f4 Nc6 11. Nf3 g6 12. O-O Qc5+ 13. Kh1 Nge7 14. Rb1 a6 15. Qxc3 Qa5 16. Qb3 Qc7 17. Be3 Na5 18. Qa4 Nac6 19. Ng5 d6 {Pecorini,J (1611)-Reich,E (1853) Geneve 2016 1/2-1/2 (40)}) (5. dxc5 Bxc3+ {Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Steiner Variation} (5... O-O 6. a3 Bxc5 7. Nf3 b6 8. Bf4 {Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, Macieja System})) 5... cxd4 6. Bxf6 $146 (6. a3 Be7 7. Nb5 Nc6 8. Nf3 Qa5+ 9. Bd2 Qb6 10. e3 a6 11. Nbxd4 Nxd4 12. exd4 O-O 13. Bd3 d6 14. O-O Qc7 15. Bg5 Bd7 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Rac8 19. Nd2 Bxd4 20. Qd3 Bxf2+ { Duneas,J (2075)-Ashmore,C ICC INT 2009 1-0 (36)}) 6... Qxf6 (6... dxc3 $6 7. Bxc3 Qa5 8. Rc1 $11) 7. Qa4 $4 {White falls apart} (7. a3 dxc3 8. axb4 cxb2 $19 ) 7... Bxc3+ (7... a5 $142 {and Black wins} 8. O-O-O dxc3 $19) 8. bxc3 dxc3 ( 8... d3 9. Rd1 Qxc3+ 10. Rd2 Qc1+ 11. Qd1 Qxd1+ 12. Rxd1 dxe2 13. Nxe2 $19) 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. e3 O-O 11. Be2 b6 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. Nd4 $2 (14. Rac1 $142 $17) 14... Nxd4 $19 15. Rxd4 d5 16. Rf4 (16. cxd5 Rxd5 (16... Bxd5 $6 17. Rc1 $19) 17. Rxd5 Bxd5 $19) 16... Qe5 (16... Qe7 $142 {might be the shorter path} 17. cxd5 Rxd5 $19) 17. Qc2 (17. Rd4 {does not solve anything} dxc4 18. Qxc4 Qg5 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 $19) 17... Rac8 (17... dxc4 $142 {and Black has reached his goal} 18. Rxc4 Rd2 19. Qxc3 Qxc3 20. Rxc3 Rxe2 21. a3 $19) 18. Rd1 Rc5 (18... dxc4 {keeps an even firmer grip} 19. Rxc4 Rxd1+ 20. Qxd1 $19) 19. Rdd4 (19. a4 $19) 19... Qc7 20. Rh4 g6 21. Qxc3 Rc8 (21... e5 {makes it even easier for Black} 22. Rd1 b5 23. Rb1 $19) 22. h3 $4 {with this move White loses his initiative} (22. Rxh7 Qe5 23. Rxf7 Kxf7 24. Rf4+ Qxf4 25. exf4 dxc4 $11) 22... b5 {Black threatens to win material: b5xc4} (22... e5 $142 {and Black can already relax} 23. Rd1 b5 $19) 23. Qa3 $4 (23. Rxh7 $142 $1 {would be a reprieve} Qe5 24. Rxf7 Kxf7 25. Rf4+ Qxf4 26. exf4 dxc4 27. h4 $11) 23... bxc4 ({Instead of} 23... dxc4 24. Rd1 e5 25. Qc3 $19) 24. Rh6 (24. Rd1 { does not improve anything} e5 25. Qb2 Re8 $19) 24... Kg7 (24... Qa5 {seems even better} 25. Qc1 Rb5 26. Rd2 $19) 25. Rdh4 (25. Qc3 {is no salvation} f6 ( 25... Kxh6 $4 {4 is followed by mate in} 26. Rh4+ Kg5 27. f4+ Qxf4 28. exf4+ Kf5 29. Qe5#) 26. Rhh4 e5 $19) 25... Rh8 26. Qc3+ f6 27. Bh5 (27. Bd1 d4 28. exd4 $19) 27... gxh5 (27... d4 $142 {and Black has it in the bag} 28. Qxd4 Kxh6 29. Bxg6+ Kg7 $19 (29... Kxg6 $6 30. Rh6+ Kg7 31. Qxf6+ Kg8 32. Qxe6+ Qf7 33. Qg4+ Kf8 34. Qd4 $19)) 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. R4xh5 (29. R6xh5 Qg7 30. Qd8+ Kf7 31. Rf4+ Qf6 32. Rxf6+ Kg7 33. Rg5#) 29... d4 (29... Qg7 {is not the saving move} 30. Qxe6+ Qf7 31. Rf6 Rc7 32. Rxf7 Rxf7 33. Rf5 Kg7 34. Rxf7+ Kg8 35. Qe8#) 30. Rg6+ $3 {Deflection: h7} (30. Rg6+ Qg7 31. Rxg7#) 1-0