1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Of course! 4... Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 bxc6 6... Bxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8. Bg5 e6 9. O-O-O Be7 is the main line. 7. O-O 7. Be3 7... Qb6 8. Qd3 g6 9. Re1 Bg7 10. Nbd2 Qb5 11. c4 Qa6 12. Rb1!? 12. e5 d5 13. Nd4 14. e6 12... Nf6 I was trying to goad black into 12... Qxa2 13. b4 Nf6 14. e5 allowing me to keep his king in the center for a few more moves. 13. a3 O-O 14. b4 Rab8 15. Bb2 d5

16. Rbc1 Rfd8 17. Be5? Chases rook to the right square, but I was trying to get my queen behind my bishop to exert pressure on the a1-h8 diagonal. 17. exd5! cxd5 18. Rxe7 Be6 19. b5 17... Rbc8 18. exd5 Too late. 18... cxd5 19. Nd4 dxc4 Here... I calculated for a long time before playing 20. Rxc4! Rxc4 20... Bb5? 21. Rxc8! Bxd3 22. Rxd8+ Bf8 23. Bxf6 Qxf6 (23... exf6 24. Ree8) 24. Ne6! 21. Qxc4 Qxc4 22. Nxc4 I felt my queenside majority would give me a slight edge here. What is more amazing is how the knights totally dominate the bishops in an open board. 22... Rc8 23. Nd2 Bh6 24. N2b3 Ng4 25. Bg3 e5? I suppose my opponent felt he had pinning tactics. On 25... e6 26. h3 Nf6 27. Nc5 Be8 28. Bd6 Nd5 29. g3 White holds a slight space advantage. 26. Bxe5 Nxe5 27. Rxe5 Bg7 28. Rc5 Re8 29. Kf1 Be5 Trying to drum up tactics. 30. Rd5 Bc8 Now I have to watch to the a6-f1 diagonal 31. h4 Bf6 32. Nc5 I almost played 32. h5 32... Bxh4 33. b5 Bg4 34. a4 Bf6 35. f3 Bh4 Subtle threat. (smile) 36. g3! Bh3+ 37. Kf2 Bd8 38. Ncb3 h5 39. a5 Bc8

Black's bishops have had no scope thus far. 40. Nc6 Bf6 41. Rd6 Now black is getting squeezed, so he must do something fast. The a-pawn is lost, but I did not want to capture it yet. 41. Nxa7 Be6 42. Rd6 Be5 43. Rxe6 Rxe6 44. Nc6 41... Re6 42. Rxe6 Bxe6 43. b6! axb6 44. axb6 Bc8 44... Bxb3 45. b7 45. Nc5 Kf8 46. b7 For a long time, I looked at 46. Kg2 Ke8 47. Na7 Kd8 48. Nxc8 Kxc8 49. b7+ Kc7 50. b8=Q+ Kxb8 51. Nd7+ but these lines are not forced. The text is simple and best. 46. Na7 Bd4+ 47. Ke2 Bxc5 48. Nxc8 Bxb6 49. Nxb6 is a way to get the pieces off the board, but for some reason I didn't like this method. 46... Bxb7 47. Nxb7 Ke8 48. Nc5 The knights form an impenetrable wall. 48... Bg7 49. Ke3 Bh6+ 50. Ke4 50. f4?! allows black a better chance to trade off pawns. 50... g5? Let's me invade, but I still have to show technique. 51. Kf5 h4 52. gxh4 gxh4 53. Kg4 Bf8 54. Ne4 Kd7 55. Nd4 Another wall 55... Be7 56. Nf5 Bd8 57. Nxh4 Ke6 58. Nf5 Bc7 59. Ng5+ Kf6 60. Ne3 Bb8 61. Ne4+ Kg6 62. Nf5 Bc7 63. Nfd6 A move made with a faulty plan. The idea is now to play f4-f5, but... 63... Bb8 64. Nf5

I realized in time that 64. f4 only draws due to 64... f5+! 65. Nxf5 Bxf4 so I went back to the drawing board. 64... Bc7 65. Nh4+ Kg7 66. Kf5 Bb8 67. Ng2 Bc7 68. Ne3 Bb8 69. Kg5 Bc7 70. Nf5+ Kf8 71. Kf6 Bd8+ 72. Ke5 Bc7+ 73. Ned6 Ba5 74. Nh6 Took me awhile, but now I've trapped the last pawn. Now I have to advance my own pawn. 74... Bc3+ 75. Kf5 f6 76. Ne4 Bb2 77. Nxf6 Kg7 78. Nhg4 My knights have been inseparable. 78... Bc1 79. Nd5 Kh8 80. Nde3 80. Nge3 80... Bd2 81. Kg6 Kg8 82. f4 Kf8 83. f5 Bc3 84. Nf6 Ba1 85. Ned5 Bb2 86. Ne4 Be5

86... Bh8 87. Nef6 87. Nc5 Ba1 88. Nf4 Bb2 89. Nfd3 Ba1 89... Bh8 90. Ne6+ Kg8 91. Ndf4 Bb2 92. Nd5 Kh8 93. Ne7 Be5 94. Ng5 Bb2 95. Nf7# 90. Nd7+ Kg8 91. N3e5 Bc3 92. f6 Kh8 93. Kf7?

93. f7! Bb4 94. f8=Q+!! Bxf8 95. Nf7+ Kg8 96. Nf6#

A missed opportnity, but... 93... Kh7 94. Ke8 and black ran out of time before I could promote my pawn. Not as glorious as the mate, but I'll take it! 1-0 [Shabazz D.]