1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 Be7?! The first time I have seen this move 8. Nxe5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Bb7 10. Qg4 The point of exchanging off the knights 10... O-O 11. Nc3! After a long thought I realised the developing move is best. The point is white has an intermediate move. 11. f3?! Ng5 12. f4 Ne4 13. f5 Kh8~~ Tal-Smyslov 1977(0-1) 23moves 11... Ng5 11... Nxc3 12. Bh6! (12. bxc3 Kh8=/+ Anand Piket 1992 1/2-1/2 17) 12... Bf6 13. exf6 Ne2+ (13... Qxf6 14. Bg5 (14. Be3! Na4 15. Qxd7 Nc5 16. Qxc7 Rac8 17. Qf4 with advantage to White) 14... Qd4! Black retains the extra pawn - Smyslov) 14. Kh1 Qxf6 15. Be3 c5 16. c3 Qc6 17. Rfe1+- 12. f4?! Ne6? 12... b4! is still putting up a fight though white is still better 13. f5 Ng5 14. h4 h5 15. Qg3 Nh7 16. Bh6+- 1-0 [Luke Boumphrey]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. c3 c5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+?! This line has been rejected at the top level since Alekhine walloped Capablanca with it at Avro 1938 10. Kf1 Nf8 11. a3 Be7 12. b4 Bd7 13. Bd2 Alekhine preferred Be3 and so do I. I had dreams of pushing b5 and attacking the n a5 with qa4 and forcing it to c4 but this drops the b pawn after white has taken on c4 with the bishop. It is however a reasonable developing move but Be3 overprotects d4 and frees the knights 13... Ng6?! A provocative move at first sight but I was told later it was an oversight 14. h4 f6 15. h5 Nf8 The drawback of Bd2 whites centre comes under strong attack 16. Rc1 A useful move discouraging 0-0-0 and in some lines Qc7 16... Rc8 If white has any advantage it is spacial so exchanges ease the tension for black hence this is agoodmove 17. Rh3 Trying to get the rook into play along the 3rd rank 17... f5 18. Kg1?! 18. b5! Nb8 19. Rxc8+ Bxc8 20. Qa4 Bd8 21. Bb4 Is highly unpleasant 18... Nd8 Black starts a regrouping manouver which is hard to control in the game Ifailed 19. Nc3?! 19. Rxc8! Bxc8 20. Qc1 Bd7 21. Bg5+/- I was wrongly obsessed with not exchanging rooks 19... Nf7 20. Qe2 Qd8 21. Rc2 Useful moves are hard to find. I have totally lost the thread 21... g5 22. hxg6 hxg6 23. Rxh8 Nxh8 24. Ne1 Nf7 25. f4 g5 26. fxg5 Bxg5 27. Bxg5 Qxg5 28. Nf3 Qg4 Black definitely has the advantage now 29. Nd1 Rxc2 30. Qxc2 Ng5 31. Nxg5 Qxg5 32. Qe2? A miscalculation in a difficult position 32... Qf4? 32... Qc1 33. Qh5+ Kd8 34. Kh2 Qxa3 35. Qg5+ Kc8 36. Qe7 Ng6! 33. Qe3 Qxe3+ Here black offered the draw. He is no longer better but in the form I was in for this game maybe it was best to accept. White objectively has a slight advantage 34. Nxe3 a6 35. Kf2 Kf7 36. Nf1 Kg7 37. Nd2 Ba4 38. Ke3 Kh6 39. Nb1 Kg5 40. Nc3 Be8 In the rush to the time control black has equalised, I should have played g4 and activated my king 41. a4 Kg4 42. Kf2 Ng6 43. a5 Ne7 44. b5 Playing for the loss! 44... axb5 45. Nxb5 Nc6?? 45... Bxb5 46. Bxb5 Kf4 White may hold this but it is very difficult if possible 46. Nd6 Bd7 47. Nxb7?! again stronger is Bb5 when white should win 47... Nb4? Unbelievably black fails to take the pawn when after giving up the bishop for the a pawn can count on the draw because the e pawn goes as well 48. Nc5 f4?? So while white has been losing threads black has been losing the plot 49. Be2+ My worst game of the tournament 1-0 [Luke Boumphrey]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 This move is mainly aimed at taking black out of the books.Objectiveley it offers the slightest edge in a symmetrical position 5... Nf6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. Bg5 Be7 8. d4!? d5!? Instead of ording to fritz)perhaps black should simply develop and ask whether the tempo involved in moving the d pawn twice is wasted. 9. Bb5 a6 Farhad true to style uncompromisingly says ruin my pawns I have the two bishops 10. Bxc6+ bxc6 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne5 Qd6 13. Na4!? Again fritz (and farhad) prefer Re1 13... Qe6 14. Re1 Qf5 Atypical fahad pawn offer white can take the pawn but will have to give up the other bishop in doing so.Fritz prefers white as is typical of a computer but I figured black has excellent practical counter chances 15. Bh4 g5? This is too much though it still needs to be refuted. I spent a lot of time on the clock over my last move and a lot more on this one whereas farhad had oodles of time left. I wanted to produce something special. 16. Nxc6 16. Bxg5 Qxg5 17. Nf3 Qg6 18. Rxe7 maybe the most prosaic but I was unsure whether the half open gfile produces any counterplay for black 16... Bd6 17. Bg3 A fairly prosaic cop out! I was short of time and figured a pawn is a pawn! Iwas sorely tempted to play 17. Re5! Qd7 or 18. Bxg5!? (18. Rxg5+! Kh8 19. Qf3! Ne4 20. Nc3 Qxc6 (20... f6 And here I missed that the rook can travel horizontally 21. Rxd5+- (21. Rh5+- Everything else is bad) ) 21. Nxe4) 18... Qxc6! (18... Bxe5? 19. Nxe5 Qf5 (19... Qxa4? 20. Bxf6 And white should mate) 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Nc5+/- Two pawns and an exposed king more than compensate for the exchange I think) 19. Bxf6 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qxa4 I think this is a fascinating position Sacrificing a rook however it took me ages to realize the q a4 is well placed to come to the rescue along the 4th rank. It is highly unclear though and i invite everyone to have a look at this position. 21. b4! I couldnt find this move in my analysis. And nor can fritz. John Carleton thinks this is the only chance for the sac to have any soundness. 21... Qxb4 22. Rb1 Qg4 23. Qc1! Keeping an eye on the dark squares and the back rank 23... Qg6 (23... Bf5 24. Rb3 Amazingly Fritz after some thought gives this as slightly better for white) 24. Rb3 h5 25. Rg3 Bg4+/= 17... Ne4 18. Rxe4 As good as any 18... Qxe4 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. Nb6 The point 20... Bf5 21. Nxa8 Rxa8 22. c3?! Re8 23. Qd2 f6 24. f3 Qe6?! 24... Qe2+/- 25. Kf2 Qc8 26. Nb4 Qc4 27. b3 Qb5 28. a4 Qb7 29. Re1 Rxe1 30. Qxe1 a5? Black is now lost I give the restof the game without commentary except to say farhad certainly did not play to the best of his sober ability:-) 31. Qe8+ Kg7 32. Qc6 Qe7 33. Nxd5 Qe6 34. Qc7+ Kh6 35. Qc4 g4 36. Ne3 d5 37. Qxd5 Qxd5 38. Nxd5 Kg6 39. Ne7+ An interesting game which one nearly always gets against farhad 1-0 [Luke Boumphrey]