Interesting. The thought of ...BxN (...Bxc3!?) never entered my head. Meanwhile, I was think in terms of ...0-0, ...Be6 and ...f5, with a K-side attack in mind.

I agree with ionadowman, in such positions black intends O-O and f5 and possibly f4 later. This is why i prefer 7...Nge7 over 7...Nf6.

What a TOTEM !! Very interesting

I understood this at the time as designed to inhibit my planned ...Be6. Maybe I ought to have played it after all: 9...Be6 10.Qxb7 Rb8 11.Qa6 Nb4, say, might have led down interesting paths... I have to admit I started playing a bit too conservatively about now, with a tendency to drift a little...

My natural instinct would be to play 9 ...Be6 I think it is quite risky for white to play 10. Qxb7. For the pawn black gets great control of the b-file and powerful attacking chances on c4 with e4-e5.

There is that, but the Queen's sortie had had the effect of dislocating my plan. Of course, ...f5 is not playable now, and in fact I really have to do something with my e6-Bishop.

I think that is probably a correct assessment, though this capture seemed good at the time. I thought I was looking at a formidable phalanx of pawns assembling at my left centre, ready to storm White's K-side. It didn't turn out quite that way.

I wasn't worried about that, if I could just get in ...f5. Doubled pawns can be a handicap and a liability, but they aren't always. They can control inportant squares, and doubled pawns always means an open line for a rook! White's next move really scrambles Black's game, even though I managed to liquidate my doubled pawns almost at once.

At about this time I had become aware that I had drifted into a difficult game. Fact was, with each successive move, it seemed to me more difficult to make any progress with Black's position. The Queen sortie was an attempt to liven things up and complicate matters. I was also seriously looking at ....Nc3 about this time, and even ...Ne3 seemed to offer possibilities in certain circumstances...

Completely overlooked the move - or at least, I don't recall looking at it at all. Odd, really, because it's the sort of thing I used to spot at a glance. Possibly I was a bit fixated on ...Ne3, 'cos I know I was looking hard at that move.

At the time, it seemed to me a 50-50 call between this capture and ...Rd4.

I recall I was expecting Nxa6, and it's not easy to find a good defence. It's no good bolstering the defence of f7 - the twin passers will win for White on the Q-side. Probably Black had to exchange rooks and pray: 39.Nxa6!? Rxf2ch 40.Rxf2 Rxa6 41.Rxf7! Qg4!! with the idea 42.Rf4ch Qe6; or 42.Ra7ch Kh7 43.Rxa6 Qe2ch with a draw by repetition. I do recall feeling mildly disappointed that White chose the Q move, as it meant I was still on the rack.

Either way, I did hope that by isolating the a-pawn, Black might yet scratch a draw out of this game.

After 52.Nc6, Rd2ch 53.Kf3 Bf8 looks reasonable for Black. This Queen move could not be met by active means.

At this point the draw seemed so close! Yet it was clear I had not been able to set up a fortress, so far, as Nc8 was threatened. In fact Black seemed horribly close to a zugzwang.

At the time, I didn't think ...Rc2ch led anywhere, and hoped that a close knit defence might be more effextive in frustrating White's attack. Generally I prefer counterattack, but not at the expense of leaving my forces scattered and weak. There, however I may have misjudged the situation. 62...Rc2ch 63.Kh3 Rf2 64.Qc1 Bc4 65.Qc4 .... This led to a line I overlooked: 65...Bxe5 66.Nxf7! Kxf7 67.Qd5! [Impatience brings Black back into the game: 67.a7? Rf3! 68.a8=Q?? Kh4 69.g5ch Kh5 70.Rh3ch and sooner or later White will have to give up one of the Queens.] 67...Rf1 68.a7 Ra1 69.a8=Q Rxa8 70.Qxa8 and White would have had a tough row to hoe hauling in the win. But I thought ...Rd7 at the time my best chance.