I had the black pieces
In this game I employed one of my favorite openings, in fact I like the position in the first diagram a lot as black, it might be a little cramped but I have several good ideas for how to deploy the pieces in good positions.
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7
{C10 French Defense: Rubinstein Variation, Blackburne Defense}
5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 b6 7. Bg5
{Important to cover the long diagonal first.}
7... Bb7
(7... Be7 8. Nxf6+ Nxf6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Be4 Rb8)
8. Ng3 Be7 9. O-O h6 10. Bd2 O-O 11. c4 c5 12. Bc3 cxd4 13. Nxd4
(13. Bxd4 Nc5 14. Bc2 {I think this is worse than the game. for white that is})
13... Nc5 14. Bc2 Rc8 15. Qe2 Re8 16. Rad1 Qc7 17. b4
(17. Nb5 Qc6 18. f3 Ra8 {Better for white.})
17... Ncd7 18. Bb3 e5 19. Ndf5 Qc6
(19... Bf8 {to not allow Nxe7+})
20. f3
(20. Nxe7+ Rxe7 21. f3)
20... Bf8 21. Rd2 e4
(21... g6 22. Ne3 e4)
22. Nd4 Qc7 23. f4 a6 24. Ngf5 e3 25. Rd3
(25. Nxe3 Ne4 26. Rc2 Nxc3 27. Rxc3 Bxb4 28. Rd3 {Here black is dominating.})
25... Ne4 26. Bb2 g6 27. Nxe3 Bxb4 28. f5 Bd6 29. g4
(29. fxg6 Bxh2+ 30. Kh1 Ng3+ 31. Kxh2 Nxe2+ {This would be the end for white.})
29... g5
{This shuts down whites play against blacks king.}
30. Nf3 Nec5 31. Rd2 Bf4 32. Bd4 Ne4 33. Rb2 Ndc5 34. Bc2 Rcd8 35. Nd5 Rxd5
{This move is simply my evaluating that a bishop is more useful in the coming attack.}
36. cxd5 Bxd5 37. Qg2 Qd6
{37...Nd2 is stronger I think, but I prefered to defend h6 first and then attack.}
(37... Nd2 38. Qh3 Nxf3+ 39. Rxf3 Bxf3 40. Qxf3)
38. Rd1 Nd2
{This works as well now!}
39. Rxd2 Bxd2 40. Qxd2 Bxf3
{Now black is just simply winning.}
41. Bb3
{Not really solving any problems}
41... Re2 42. Qd3 Qxh2+
{No reason to take the queen when there is a checkmate.}
43. Kf1 Qg2# 0-1
I really liked this game, and with a tournament coming up this weekend I really hope I can find this level in most of the games, I didn't need to calculate a lot of variations, but I did need to evaluate positions fairly clearly, I think this game is a better one of mine, my opponent had a lot of time pressure for the last moves, so the things keeping him alive was the 10 second increment.
Interesting! I think what's most fun about this position is the move immediately prior to the rook sacrifice, where you played 29. ...g5. This is not exactly bad, but you were I think prioritizing your own king's safety over his--and his own situation is much worse. Instead, you could have played 29. Ng5! which immediately brings your bishop into the attack, no sacrifice required, threatening an immediate mate in one with Nh3. What's he do? The only real move he has is Nf3 to cover--then you check on h3, and you have a nice forced Queen-Rook fork on f4! Your bishop is still attacking and you're up the exchange :)
Best of luck in your tournament!
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I think it probably is better, I think I had a short look at that, but I did not like the opening of my king, besides he got no play after 29... g5 I was really running the shots after that.
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