2017 Winter Sucks Round 2 Anton Taylor, 1906 - CM Jerry Baker, 2111 Caro-Kann: Panov-Botvinnik Attack (B13)

2017 Winter Sucks Round 2
Anton Taylor, 1906 - CM Jerry Baker, 2111
Caro-Kann: Panov-Botvinnik Attack (B13)
http://chessmicrobase.com/microbases/9425/games/919181

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Qb3

This move is suspect to me. I was playing experimentally (read that as "planlessly") and the result of this move in particular resulted in a lot of time taken off of my own clock later. 7. ... O-O 8. Bg5 Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Ndxe7 11. O-O-O? Rd1 followed by Bd3 and O-O is the best plan. 11. ... b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 

I had difficulty finding a plan for White in this position. Objectively best is moves like Kb1, Be4, etc. preparing a d5 break and getting things coordinated. Instead I chose a risky plan with Bc2 and a Queen march. I see now that it was a waste of time but the moment is the key. Hindsight is 20/20. 13. Bc2 Na5 14. Qb5 Nd5 15. Nxd5 In this position I had planned to play Qd3 but the attack goes nowhere against the Black king and actually a move like g6 helps black save time in the endgame not having to avoid a back-rank mate. So, I decide to trade off the queens. The trade is bad for me of course because my queen has moved far more than the Black counterpart. White's position is completely lost here. 15. ... Qxd5 16. Qxd5 Bxd5 17. b4 Nc4 18. Bb3 a5 19. bxa5 Rxa5 20. Kb1 f6 21. Rhe1 Kf7 22. Rc1 b5 23. Kc2 Rfa8 24. Kc3 Nb6 25. Kb4 Bxb3 26. axb3 Nd5+ 27. Kc5 Ke7 This is the move I missed in my analysis of Kc3. I could blame this oversight on lack of time but the position is already lost so it doesn't matter why I set about to make things worse. The only result of this position is to complicate it with trading a rook for knight and pawn. 28. Rxe6+ Kxe6 29. Re1+ Kd7 30. Kxd5 Ra2 31. Kc5 Rb8 32. d5 Rc2+ 33. Kb4 Rxf2 34. Nd4 Rxg2 35. Nxb5 Rxh2 (35... Rg4+ 36. Ka5 Ra8+ 37. Kb6 Rb4 38. Kc5 Rxb3 wins immediately but the text is still winning) 36. Rc1 Rb7 37. Kc5 Rh3 38. b4 g6 39. Nd4 Rh5 40. b5 Re5 41. Nc6 Re2 42. Na5 Rc7+ 43. Nc6 Rb2 44. Kb6 Kd6 45. Re1 Rg7 46. Re6+ Kxd5 47. Rxf6 g5 0-1

There were some chances to escape disaster in this ending but I was playing with seconds on my clock and had no time to find them. I was psychologically beaten anyway so it is unlikely I would find them. My conclusion is that this game started going downhill after 7.Qb3. I dislike the idea that I beat myself but it has become apparent to me that that is the only way I lose at all. Place the blame where it belongs. Don't dwell or obsess of course but study and do better. Win or learn.