Julian Kramer

   [Event "EOCCC Rapid 2021"]   [Date "2021.03.30"]   [Round "11"]   [White "Navara, David"]   [Black "Kramer, Julian"]   [Result "0-1"]   [ECO "A34"]   [WhiteElo "2697"]   [BlackElo "2419"]   [Annotator "Julian"]   [PlyCount "118"]   {Most definitely one of the best players I ever faced in my life. The time   control was 15min per game with 5 sec increment per move.} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6   3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 g6 $6 {Not necessarily a bad move, but I played   it instantly and immediately realized that this is not my repertoire.} (5...   Nxc3 6. bxc3 (6. dxc3 $5) 6... g6 7. h4 Bg7 8. h5 Nc6 9. Bc4 $13 {is what I am   supposed to play}) (5... e6 {is the most normal, but not Grünfeld like}) 6.   Qb3 $1 {And that is why. Now 6...Nxc3 is not good due to 7.Qxc3.} Nb4 $2 {   This move is a pure guess and gamble. I learned that besides playing good   moves, it is essential to keep up on the clock to match with really strong   players. That is even more important in these short time controls. I spend   around a minute and decided that I have to make a move and chose one that   seemed interesting. Funnily enough it is also the most common move, but still   a bad one} (6... Nxc3 $2 7. Qxc3 $16) (6... Nf6 $1 7. Bc4 e6 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4   Bg7 $13 10. Qa3 {And white has better chances here but it might be still fine.}   ) 7. Ne4 $6 {He spent around 3 minutes for that move, so it clearly was new to   him.} (7. Bc4 $1 {is already a winning advantage (for the computer)} e6 (7...   Nd3+ $2 8. Kf1 e6 9. Ne4 Nxc1 10. Qc3 $1 $18) 8. d4 $1 N4c6 (8... Bg7 9. O-O   $18 {And with the huge lead in development, white is winning.}) 9. O-O $18)   7... Qd5 8. Qxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxc5 Nb4 $6 (9... e5 $1 {is better} 10. Bb5+ Nc6 11.   Na4 (11. Nxe5 $2 Bxc5 12. Nxc6 Bd7 13. Nd4 Bxd4 14. Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. exd4 {   and black has an amazing knight}) (11. Ne4 $5 f5 12. Nc3 $16) 11... e4 12. Ng5   f5 13. b3 $16) 10. Bb5+ N8c6 11. O-O e5 12. d4 a6 13. Ba4 $6 (13. Bxc6+ {   is good to gain some time and to distract the knight from d3.} Nxc6 14. Ne4 $1   exd4 (14... Be7 15. Nxe5 $18) (14... f5 15. Nf6+ Kf7 16. Nd5 e4 17. Ng5+ Kg8   18. Bd2 $18) 15. Nf6+ Kd8 16. exd4 Nb4 17. Ne5 $18) 13... Bxc5 $1 14. dxc5 Nd3   {And now I have some optical compensation} 15. Rd1 e4 16. Nd2 f5 17. Nc4 Nxc5   18. Bxc6+ bxc6 19. b3 Nd3 20. Ba3 $2 {That is a serious inaccuracy. During the   game I expected that and did not even consider the strong 20.Nb2!} (20. Nb2 $1   $16 {is the needed move and whites keeps the advantage. That is due to the   lead in development and the fact that he gets rid of my strong knight.} Kf7 $1   (20... Ne5 $2 21. Bd2 $1 {with the idea of Bc3 next} O-O 22. Bc3 Re8 $4 23.   Bxe5 Rxe5 24. Rd8+ $18) 21. Nxd3 exd3 22. Rxd3 Be6 {And black has to suffer   and makes a draw only on a very good day}) 20... Be6 $1 $11 {And black is   developed in time and has a strong knight on d3 which is controlling many   important squares.} 21. Nd6+ (21. Nb2 O-O-O $1 $13 {is the difference now!   Black is not worse}) 21... Kd7 22. f3 Bd5 23. fxe4 fxe4 (23... Bxe4 $2 {   I rejected that immediately because of 24. Rxd3?} 24. Nf7 $1 (24. Rxd3 $2 Bxd3   25. Rd1 {but black has} Bc2 $1 26. Rd2 Bb1 $1 $11 {and there are only   discoveries winning the material back. Instead 24. Nf7! wins}) 24... Rhe8 25.   Rac1 {threatens Rc3} Ke6 26. Ng5+ Kf6 27. Nxe4+ fxe4 28. Rxc6+ $18) 24. Rf1 (   24. Nb7 $5 $14) 24... a5 {the plan a5-a4 is natural} (24... c5 $5) 25. Nf7 $6 (   25. Nb7 $1 $14) 25... Rhe8 $6 (25... Rhb8 $1 {to support a5-a4 is actually   unpleasant for white}) 26. Ng5 Rh8 27. Rf6 a4 28. b4 $6 {now the bishop is a   misplaced piece} (28. bxa4 $1 Rxa4 29. Bf8 {annoying the Rh8 who is a bit   trapped} Rxa2 (29... Ke8 $2 30. Rb1 $1 Rxf8 $4 31. Rb8+ $18) 30. Rxa2 Bxa2 31.   Nxe4 $11) 28... Rhf8 $6 (28... Kc7 $1 {with the simple plan Kb6 and Kb5 is   actually really effective. This plan did not cross my mind at all. We were   both down to 5 minutes and I wanted to play actively and decided to exchange   his active pieces for a pawn. If the misplaced Ba3 remains, black always has   some compensation I think.}) 29. Nxh7 Rxf6 30. Nxf6+ Ke6 31. Nxd5 Kxd5 32. Rf1   Rb8 33. Rf6 Ne5 34. b5 $2 {When I played 33...Ne5 I anticipated that move and   had my response prepared. What I did not know back then is that I am actually   winning now. I cared more about surviving and having an optically okay   position but the possibility that I can win the game did not come to my mind.}   (34. Bb2 $1 {was the way to go} Nd3 $1 (34... Nc4 $2 35. Bd4 $1 $16 {and white   has a good defensive set-up and two passed pawns on the kingside really soon...   .}) 35. Ba3 $5 (35. Bc3 {is more natural but according to the engine it is   really important to cover the c1 square.} Nc1 $15 {Ne2+ and Nxa2 coming.})   35... Nxb4 36. Bxb4 Rxb4 37. Rxg6 Rb1+ 38. Kf2 Ra1 39. h4 Rxa2+ 40. Kg3 {   a complicated rock endgame is ahead which is objectively equal}) 34... Nc4 $1   $19 {defending d6 and winning the b-pawn who turns into a dangerous passed   pawn right after} 35. Be7 (35. Bb4 Rxb5 $1 {b4 and e3 are issues}) 35... cxb5   36. Rxg6 (36. Bb4 Nxe3 $19 {blacks pieces are way more active and white wont   stop the e and b pawn}) 36... b4 {The rest of the game I do not play perfectly   but I never let the winning advantage slip out of my hands. When I realized   that I am winning, my heart was pounding and the excitement was really big! I   just could not really think about my moves as good, as I could before, during   the game. Luckily my intuition was good enough to find decent moves and   convert the advantage even against such a world class player.} 37. Ra6 b3 38.   axb3 axb3 39. Bf6 b2 40. Bxb2 Rxb2 41. h4 Nxe3 42. Rg6 Ke5 43. h5 Kf5 44. Kh2   Rb3 45. g3 Ng4+ 46. Kh3 Ne5 47. Rg8 e3 48. Rf8+ Ke4 49. Rf4+ Kd3 50. Rf5 Rb5   51. Rf1 e2 52. Ra1 Ke3 53. h6 Nf3 54. g4 Kf2 55. g5 Nxg5+ 56. Kg4 Nf3 57. h7   Rg5+ 58. Kf4 Rh5 59. Rh1 Rxh1 {The feeling when playing 59...Rxh1 was just so   exciting and good! Definitely one of my greatest wins ever so far.} 0-1