[Event "BCCC2019"]
[Site "Mechanics Institute"]
[Date "2019-05-23"]
[White "Rodney Jacobs"]
[Black "Patrick Cook"]
[WhiteElo "1613"]
[BlackElo "1599"]
[Result "1-0"]

1.e4 Nf6 {A surprise. I had been expecting the French. (RJ) I decided a day or so before the game not to endure Rodney's preparation. I wanted a fight! (P.C.) you don't know how to fight} 2.Nc3 {This was disappointing...see previous note! (P.C.)} d5 3.exd5 Nxd5 4.Bc4 Nxc3 5.Qf3 {The book move. The idea for White is to retake the knight without messing up his pawn structure, and to make it difficult for Black to develop his kingside normally. I thought for a long time about Bxf7ch, which seemed to me to reach a similar result, but with Black having lost his f pawn and his ability to castle. It was only after playing Qf3 that I realised that Bxf7 just would have lost a piece. Oddly, after the game, Patrick, suffering an identical case of chess blindness, said I should have played 5. Bxf7ch.(RJ) Schachblindheit : Siegbert Tarrasch  (Chess blindness) (P.C.)} e6 6.Qxc3 Nd7 7.Nf3 Nf6 8.O-O Be7 9.d4 O-O 10.Re1 b6 {Still in book, although I didn't know it and I assume neither did Patrick.  The Chessbase line ends here.(RJ) I was winging it (P.C.)} 11.Ne5 Nd5 {I was happy to see this, which I don't think is as good as Bb7. It chases the queen to where it wants to go. (RJ) I was concerned about 11...Bb7 12.Nxf7 Rxf7 13.Bxe6...(P.C.) how can you play be6 when the knights on d5} 12.Qh3 Bf6 {Stockfish 9 jumps to + 1.7 after this. It prefers Bb7. (RJ)} 13.c3 Bb7 14.Bd3 g6 15.Bh6 {White finally is able to solve the problem of where to put this bishop, and with gain of time. (RJ)} Bg7 16.Rad1 {Hoping to swing a rook to the h file. (RJ)} f5 {The engines feel that this concession isn't necessary and like Nf6. (RJ)} 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qg3 Nf6 19.Qe3 {Overlooking Black's response. (RJ)} Qd5 20.f3 Ng4? {Pat played this virtually immediately, and obviously had it planned. After the game, he commented disparagingly on his own tactical ability. I have to disagree. Here I think he just rushed it, and didn't double check his analysis before making this critical, risky,move. I've thought a lot about this issue lately. I feel that, at least at our level, most games are won or lost not on chess ability or lack of it, but on emotional factors - e.g. fear, impatience, overconfidence,obstinacy, laziness or or lack of confidence. Chess can teach you a lot about yourself. Laziness at the board is my biggest issue, unlike, for example, Bas who seems to me to work very hard over board. Interestingly here, if 20......Qxa2  21. Bc4! and, if Black takes the b2 pawn his queen is in trouble.(RJ)} 21.Nxg4 fxg4 22.Be4 Qxa2 23.Bxb7 Rab8 24.Qe5+ Kh6? {Kg8, (RJ)} 25.fxg4! {It's easily worth a piece to flush Black's king out. (RJ)} Rxb7 26.g5+ Kh5 27.Rd3 {Best, but lost a lot of time finding it. (RJ)} Rf5 28.Rh3+ {Qg7! is the move. (RJ)} Kxg5 29.Qe3+ {Struggling, nearly out of time. Qg7 is the best. (RJ)} Kf6 30.g4 Rd5 31.Rxh7 g5 32.Qxe6# {should have played the French [jb] It's always interesting to play Rodney, this was another one, even though I lost! (P.C.)}