[Event "Teters 2016"]
[Site "BCC"]
[Date "2016-08-11"]
[White "Cassandra Barnett"]
[Black "Rodney Jacobs"]
[WhiteElo "1097"]
[BlackElo "1659"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 {I like to play the Albin Counter-Gambit partly to take queen's pawn players out of their comfort zone, but mainly in the forlorn hope that I will one day catch someone in the Lasker trap (3. de d4 4. e3 Bb4ch 5, Bd2 de! 6. Bxb4? efch 7. Ke2 fg= N ch!! 8. Ke1 Qh4ch 9 Kd2 Nc6! and White is smashed - a rare example of promotion to a knight in practical play.) (RJ)} 3.Nf3!? {Avoiding the usual de, which White knew, to take Black out of his book. Chessbase indicates the move is perfectly acceptable, with an average rating of 2433 for those playing it, and with a 90% success rate. (RJ)} exd4 {Interestingly, the most popular move by far on Chessbase is Nc6. But both my engines don't like it at all, preferring the text or e4. (RJ)} 4.Qxd4! {Again, the preferred move on Chessbase, and that selected by the engines. (RJ)} dxc4? {Going astray, not looking into the position properly. Assuming that either queens will be exchanged, with Black having a good chance of hanging onto an extra pawn, or 5. Qxc4 Be6 developing with tempo. (RJ)} 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 {White has won the opening battle - a sad admission for an older player who prefers opening play above all else, and playing someone who has only recently gotten into chess! Black has lost the right to castle, and White can in fact comfortably pick up the extra Black c pawn. (RJ)} 6.e3 {In post-game analysis I felt that e4 was stronger, but the computers say e3 is fine. (RJ)} Be6 {Best. (RJ)} 7.Nc3 {Letting Black off the hook. Stronger is the immediate Ng5 or Nd4, attacking the defending bishop, and if b5, a4. (RJ)} Nd7 {Moving to hang onto the extra pawn for dear life. (RJ)} 8.Ng5! {Aiming to exchange knight for (the protecting) bishop, while at the same time messing up Black's pawn structure.The position is equal, even after White's inaccuracy on move 7.(RJ)} Nb6 9.Nxe6+ {Good, but the engines say e4!, gaining an immediate foothold in the centre, is marginally better - the bishop isn't going anywhere. (RJ)} fxe6 10.Be2 Bd6 11.b3 {During and after the game I felt this was a blunder, giving Black a super Queenside majority and weakening the black squares on Black's queenside. But the engines indicate it's fine, probably because of White's resource on move 14.(RJ)} cxb3 12.axb3 Bb4 13.Bb2 {Still even (RJ)} Nd5? {A bad mistake. Nf6 is perhaps best. (RJ)} 14.Kd2? {Missing O-O-O!, releasing the pin and creating White's own pin, giving White a definite edge. (RJ)} Ngf6 15.Kd3 Nxc3 16.Bxc3 Bxc3 17.Kxc3 {Now Black has the edge, having bluffed his way through the opening. (RJ)} c6 18.Rhd1+ Ke7 19.Rd4 {The move preferred by the engines. (RJ)} Rhf8 20.e4 {The move preferred by Deep Shredder.Stockfish 7 likes Bf3. (RJ)} a6 {To free the rook from defensive duties. The engines prefer the more aggressive a5. (RJ)} 21.h3 c5 22.Rc4?? {A bad mistake, overlooking the trapping of the rook. Necessary was Rda4, after which Black has a slight edge only. (RJ)} b5 23.Bf3 bxc4 24.e5 Nd5+ 25.Kxc4 Nb6+ 26.Kxc5 Nd7+ 27.Kd4 Ra7 28.Ra2 Rf5 29.Re2 Rc7 30.g4 Rxf3 31.h4 Rxb3 32.f4 Nb6 {White can't prevent the mate on c4. A strong first half by Cassandra, confirming that we 'senior' players will have our work cut out for us in the coming years. (RJ)} {#R}