2017 2nd Smokey Mountain Open Round 2 Adam Steed, 1847 - Anton Taylor, 1895 Caro-Kann, Exchange (by transposition from Panov-Botvinnik Attack) (B13)

Adam Steed, 1847 - Anton Taylor, 1895 
Caro-Kann, Exchange (by transposition from Panov-Botvinnik Attack) (B13)
http://chessmicrobase.com/microbases/9425/games/919176

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Nb6 10. Be3

Up to this point in the game everything has been theoretical. Nb6 is unusual (e6 is more popular) but there are several games with the Nb6 line in the database and I'm not convinced that e6 is even safe for black. Nb6 is more dynamic and versatile. However, both me and my opponent were moving quickly and I was playing on principal instead of calculation and committed a major blunder here. 10 ... Nxd4?? 11. Bxd4 Qxd4 12. Bb5+ Nd7 13. O-O O-O-O 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15. Na4 Qg6+ 16. Kh1 Qf5 17. Rd5 Qh3 18. Rad1  1-0

After this game I did a bit of analysis with my opponent in the lines following 10. ... e6 and was not convinced that Black can achieve much while fighting for equality. After returning home to my database I found the following recent game:

RUS-ch rapid, Sochi October 2016 Evgeny Shaposhnikov, 2557 - Alexey Dreev, 2660 
1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Nb6 10. Be3 e6 11. O-O-O Be7 12. d5 exd5 13. Bxb6 Qxb6 14. Qxb6 axb6 15. Nxd5 O-O 16. Nxe7+ Nxe7 17. Kb1 Rfd8 18. Bd3 g6 19. Be4 Nc6 20. a3 Kg7 21. Kc2 Kf6 22. Kc3 Ke5 23. Rhe1 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rc8 25. Kc4 Nd4+ 26. Kb4 Rc7 27. Re1 Kf4 28. Rd1 Nxf3 29. Bd5 Rc2 30. b3 Rxf2 31. Bxb7 g5 32. Rd6 f5 33. h3 h5 34. Rxb6 h4 35. Rf6 Nd4 36. a4 Rb2 37. Bc8 Rxb3+ 38. Kc4 Rb8 39. Bd7 Ke5 40. Ra6 Rd8 41. Ra5+ Kd6 42. Bxf5 Nxf5 1/2-1/2
It is worth noting that in spite of a one hundred point rating difference Black could find nothing better than a draw in this position (where Black is slightly better in the ending).

So, to set the tone for the ending to this game I now had zero points after the first two rounds. It was a true test of my resolve and my nerve. When you love to an 1850 rated player in less than twenty moves you begin to question whether or not you're good enough to become a master in a year. I asked myself a lot of questions. None of those questions had any answers by the time the next round started.