thanks for sharing the game; your mistakes were never obvious and you had good fights against such an oponent.

late in commenting but I enjoyed the game!  

The Queen at d2 is also exerting a certain amount of pressure upon Black's backward d-pawn, and also keeping an eye on the d5-square. The Queen is quite well posted where she stands.

A famous Fisher game was all a lesson about how to occupy the d5 square with a knight without exchanging it, while pressing hard the d6 pawn. From that point of view, to take exd5 is a mistake, but I cannot say.

This is a classic najdorf position and the position is equal.

The downside of this is that the pawn now masks to weaknesses in Black's camp at d5 and d6. Possibly White gets in return some compensating advantages, or else eliminates some disadvantages of her own. I don't know what these might be, but one thing for sure, a pawn break by ...d6-d5 of off the agenda! On the other hand, Black can now play ...f7-f5 to get a roller running on the K-side...

14. ... f5 for Cyrano looks good to me. Why he chose f6 instead? is beyond me. However f6 is in book. I just think it is rather passive in comparison. As for Joanne's moves, I don't see that she has had much choice. She's done well so far.

Still book, eh? I notice that at the start of this sequence, the GK engine preferred 14...f5 I probably would have done, myself. Of course, the reply 15.gxf6e.p. amounts to the same thing... So quite why the engine prefers the one to the other is beyond me...

There were alternative for Joanne's response to f6. 15. h4 would have placed additional pressure on Cyrano's King-side. Whether that would be enough to make a difference is beyond me. He is a lot better player than I am. ***** An interesting choice suggested by computer might have been a sacrificial g6 to mix things up a bit, but the GK database doesn't give the move high marks. In contrast, the computer suggests the move is winning for white; but I don't quite see how myself. I'd have to do some deep analysis. Frankly I'm too tired right now to bother.

15. g6 hxg6 16. Rg1 Qe8 17. Na5 Bd8 18. Nc6 g5 19. Bd3 Nf4 20. Bxf4 exf4 21. Qg2 f5 22. Nxd8 Qxd8 23. h4 maintains the attack for White.

At this point I quite like 19.Be6ch or 19.Nc6 as aggressive tries. Also 19.Nb7, contriving to renew pressure upon d6, from a different angle. If 19...Qe7, then 20.Na5 threatens to switch to Nc6, for what that might be worth. Otherwise 19...Be5; 20.Rhe1 with a useful pin. Nothing really decisive, I admit: just ways to carry the fight to a stronger opponent. Not that my record against the top dudes and dudettes on GK is anything flash, mark you...

I'm pretty sure this is all theory so far, as are the next couple of moves. That's one reason I avoid the Najdorf like the plague. Everything is analyzed 25 moves deep, and whoever leaves book first usually does so by blundering. And it's almost always me  

I remember that when I used to play in a club, the best players told me to avoid the sicilian in general with players up 1800, because there were too many implications I couldn't even imagine... Too bad chess has become so theoretical these last, hu, 40-50 years...

I understood why white didn't take the pawn before, but why not now? Rxf5, and black cannot Bg5, since RxR+, QxR, QxBg5. So isn't it a free pawn? (I bet I am wrong, just I don't see why).

Here I'd consider 20.Nc6, getting that N back into the game. EDIT: 21.Rxf4 is playable, but after 21...h6, ...Bg5 really is a threat, and white now has some real problems on the c1-h6 diagonal. Black has ample compensation for the pawn, as both his minor pieces now become active. I think 21.Qe2 is a lot stronger as it keeps the N tied down. 21.Nc6, putting more pressure on the center, is looking good, too.

The Knight is already tied down. Black cannot move it without losing his queen. I think taking the pawn with 21. Rxf4 was a better move. Certainly Black had some compensation, but he would have had to prove that it was enough. **** Frankly, White's King is misplaced. Joanne should have looked for a way to move it to Kb1; but timing is everything. In fact, 21. Kb1 might have been a good alternative here. **** 20. Qxf4 was possible too. 20. ... Qh5 21.Be6+

19. Kb1 (a common move in the Najdorf) Bh4 20. Be6+ Kh8 21. Nc6 Nb6 22. b3 Nc8 23. Rhg1 Ne7 24. Rg4 Bf6 25. Nxe7 Qxe7 26. Qxf4 (nets a pawn and White's pieces are aggressively placed. (analysis by Fritz 10) Najdorf is a dynamic opening and the more you play it the more you understand. White's king on b1 is played frequently and its reason is not appreciated unless we play many games.

kb1 i agree in fact when see later white needs this move and the position unravels because of this failure

No reason to swap Q's, the battery on the e-file is pretty strong. Maybe 22.Be6.

Jo, Jo, I know your opponent is a GM, but a position is a position. When shall we see you playing for a win, aggressively?   (Please don't take me the wrong way, I really admire you...).

Black's Queen was much better placed on h5 regardless. I kind of agree with damalfi. Joanne, your moves seem to force your opponent to adjust to a better position for themselves. An opportunity to exchange queens is one thing; trying to force the exchange is quite another. Getting a GM to take it just isn't going to happen unless it is in his favor.

I actually think it went wrong a few moves ago. You are just now noticing the effects of those inaccuracies.

Kb1 was necessary...too bad it wasn't done earlier. Now Cyrano is in a very strong position to potentially squeeze out a winning endgame.

agree with lighttotheright.

Usually sound logic. Here I don't think it made a whole lot of difference; but I still agree with h3 as a move.

Look at the co-ordination of the Black pieces which are ready for attack and defence. White's pieces are not co-ordinated in comparison. 26. h3 protects the g4 pawn. White's attacking g-file is closed!!!!

It's pretty crazy how GM's do this - all of a sudden he gets a winning position and it's hard to see why!

I'm not so sure that 29.d6 is so bad in itself - somehow the mobile pawn phalanx Black obtained from the Q exchange prove to be carrying a heavy battering ram to drive through to the queening rank. White could obtain one of her own by 29.c4, but it would always be a tempo behind, and Black's defensive resources are more readiliy available (bishop as against the knight). In other words, White is already seriously in trouble. When did that start? Hard to say. All the moves played seem reasonably plausible...

Agreed, improvements for white had to come earlier. Everything through move 19 or 20 I'm pretty sure was theory, so somewhere between moves 20 and 24. My suggested Nc6 and Be6 might be better just on general principles - getting a spectator involved in the action and putting a minor piece on a good square - maybe a regular Najdorf player will chime in.

Although 29. d6 was probably a little bit inaccurate, it wasn't THE losing move. That came earlier. And it was probably more of a cumulative effect from several previous weak but not necessarily bad moves. As pointed out by several people, there were good alternatives after move 19. Whether these would have worked against the likes of Cyrano is another question. I hate to say it, but losing this game was probably destiny!

The knight is too far away. So is the King....

Jo, you managed to have a lot of attention from high rated players... this is a win in itself  ))

Hi Joanne, congratulation, you fighted very strong. I managed the one or other game against Afro and he is very powerful. You played long time at eye level with him!