My games from Elitserien final, Part 2/3

It is time to get back to chess, after some posts that were not related to chess.
The regular readers surly noticed that I did not published details about my second and third game in Elitserien final.
I do not want to skip that, despite the fact that I missed GM norm in these two games.
In this article it will be the game from eight round that I needed to win, in order to play for GM norm in the last round and in order to secure a place in Elitserien 2013/2014 for Eksjö S.K.
It developed that I could play a draw and one of these tasks would be fulfilled, and with some luck in pairings, even the second task.

IM Bejtovic Jasmin E2382 - FM Jorgen Fries-Nielsen E2330

Couple of words about my opponent.
He is a brother of more known International Master Ove Fries Nielsen. Both of them plays mainly tactically and pretty random.
It is almost impossible to prepare, but that is not such a disadvantage.
In chess strategy, they are weak but they have very good sense of piece coordination and growing initiative.
However, the choice of the opening from my opponent was clearly wrong.
He got normal position (which is something that he wanted) not too much weaker, with a lot of play.
Anyway, The Old Indian Defence is rather passive opening, and it not suits him very well.
It was clear in the very beginning when he adopted very strange plan of activity on the queen side with Rb8, a6 planning to play b5.

11. c5!

This is rather typical.
He played:

11...Qc7?

This is the same as positional capitulation.
I can get favourable pawn structure.
He should play:

11...exd4
12. cxd6, dxc3
13. dxe7, Qa5!?

I calculated this variation during the game, and I thought that I can get some advantage after:

14. Qe1, Nd5
15. a3!?

A computer confirms this as very accurate.
In the game I got clear advantage after....

12. cxd6, Bxd6
13. Rc1, exd4
14. Nxd4

Because of weakness of his pawn on c6 he can not start to push his majority while on the other side I can prepare e4-f4-e5.
My main consideration was not to allow too many exchanges as in that case my advantage after e5-f4 would not be as big as with all minor pieces on the board.
The second important point is that I should not move my pawns on the queenside without very concrete reason.

This is the position after 23 moves.
Nothing dramatically changed.
I did some progress in the centre and won an advantage of bishop pair, but in order not to exchange too many pieces I moved my pawn on a4.
By provoking c6-c5 I got very nice square on d5. His idea now is to take on b3, or/and to push b5.
I wanted to move my knight on e3 as soon as possible.
Here I could sacrifice a pawn with:

24. Ne3?!, Qxb3
25. Bxf6, gxf6

I can bring a knight on f5, which looks very promising but in order to do that I sacrificed the whole queenside.
I did not liked that!
Computer confirms that I have not a full compensation after 26. Nf5, but that I have a full compensation after 26. Ng4.
Anyway I played better....

24. Qc3, b5
25. a5

He thought for a while and played....

25...b4
26. Qc4, Qxc4
27. bxc4

We reached an endgame.

He continued to play logical moves, without the bigger picture.

27...Bd6

This looks very natural. He wants to exchange his bad bishop on f8 for my strong bishop on b2.
By doing this he clears a way for his passed pawn on b file and the square d4 is more attractive for his knight.
What is wrong with this?
Nothing if we ignore the fact that it is time consuming and it not solves the right strategic points in this position.
I could not decide what should I play here.
Either rook on d-file or move my knight to e3.

28. Ne3?

This is serious mistake, based on wrong evaluation of one position in my calculation.

I should play:

28. Red1, Be5
29. Bxe5, Rxe5
30. Na1!

Now we reached the position on the diagram in introduction.

If I bring my knight on b3 (which was my idea) I would be near to winning.
He can never attack my pawns on a5 and c4. I have firm control over d file and d4 square.
My majority is about to start rolling and my bishop is potentially very dangerous for him (a6 pawn).
I considered (during the game) that he have to try with:

30...b3
31. Rb1, b2
32. Nc2, Re7

Here I thought that he has sufficient counterplay.
This is position which I misjudged!
After couple of logical moves:

33. Ne3, Rb3
34. Kf2, Ne6
35. Rd2, Reb7
36. e5, Ne8
37. Nd5

After f4 in the next move Black would be lost.

As I said I did wrong estimation of the position after b3-b2 and played "safer" 28.Ne3?

This is very important moment in the development of every chess player.
What are the real reasons behind this mistake?

All right, I just explained the reasons and flow of my thoughts, but what I mean is why were my thoughts as they were?

I can answer that I was in some sort of the time trouble, or that I reacted bad under the pressure of playing for GM norm, but nothing of that can really explain my mistake. I think that I made this mistake because the conditions on the board changed dramatically, and I still played as we were in the middlegame. In the middlegame, manoeuvre of Ne3 would be very good, but in the endgame my knight belongs to b3.  What are the achievements if my knight goes to f5 or d5 anyway?  To some point my question about reasons for this mistake became more complex if it is known that I actually calculated variation with Red1 and later on Na1.  If I was completely aware of the changed conditions I would spend more time on that in order to make it work! The reason why that variation did not worked for me (in my calculation) is because my mind was already determined to dismiss it!  This is very serious and complex issue, and I will spend some time on it.

Now when I showed where I missed a win I can show the critical mistake which made my position incapable to guaranty a draw.

In this position I dismissed 31. f4 because of an exchange sacrifice which I considered to be very dangerous.
I could play something like 31. Nf5 and keep the balance.
However I played very optimistically (which now can be explained by a fact that I was playing for a GM norm).

31. Rd6?

I thought that I have very good play on the sixth rank, but after:

31...Nd4
32. Kf2, Re6

I was forced to exchange:

33. Rxe6, fxe6!

My position is really bad right now.
My pawn majority is useless, while his passer on the b file is very dangerous, combined with the knight on d4.
I tried to activate my forces desperately.

34. e5, Nd7
35. f4

Now, I ran in something that is the main weapon of my opponent.
A sudden tactics!

35...Rf8!!

This move left the strong impression on me.
He moves his rook from the b file, and creates the terrible danger for my king.
There is no good square where I can move it in order to save my pawn on e5 or to defend against g7-g5.
I lost a pawn there, and despite creating problems for my opponent I lost the game around move 60.

In the next chess related article I will show my game from the last round of Elitserien, and then  I will move to my next tournaments.