1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4 d5 5.e5 h5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 e6
Black has no time for 8...h4? 9.f5!.
9.g3 Qb6 10.Qf2 Ne7 11.Bd3
So far, the game has followed Fischer-Petrosian, Belgrade 1970. That game continued 11...Nd7 12.Ne2 O-O-O 13.c3 f6 14.b3 Nf5 15.Rg1 c5 16.Bxf5 gxf5 17.Be3 Qa6 18.Kf1 cxd4 19.cxd4 Nb8 20.Kg2 Nc6 21.Nc1! =, and drawn in 32 moves. Here Dave decides to vary.
11...Nf5 12.Ne2 Bf8 13.Bd2!?
During this game and post mortem analysis, I labored under the illusion that Fischer had recommended this idea in his notes to the Petrosian game. But when I went home and looked in my chess books, Fischer's recommendation was nowhere to be found. In any event, 13.Bd2!? leads to an interesting pawn sacrifice which I did not follow up properly.
13...Qxb2 14.O-O Qb6 15.Rab1 Qc7 16.Kg2!?
Now is the right time for 16.Bb4!.
16...Nd7 17.Rh1 Be7 18.Bb4 c5 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Rhc1
White is drifting aimlessly.
20...a6 21.Nd4 Rc8 22.Bd2 Qd7 23.Nb3 Nxb3 24.cxb3 Ba3?
During the game, I was amazed that Black kept postponing kingside castling. Now is certainly the time for 24...O-O to connect the rooks. Perhaps Dave was worried about 25.Bxf5, but after 25...exf5 Black is a pawn up and his king looks safe enough.
25.Rxc8+ Qxc8 26.b4! a5 27.bxa5 Bc5? 28.Rc1 d4 29.Bb4 Qc6+ 30.Kh2 h4 31.g4 Ng3 32.Bxc5, Black resigns.
Both players were in bad time trouble toward the end of the game.
{This article originally appeared in Atlantic Chess News in 1992}
