Same story again ... another dodgy position & another stolen draw! This time I got a reasonable position out of the opening, which seemed like it might have been prepared by Matthew (given that he played the first 10 or so moves very quickly), though I wasn't entirely unhappy with the position I found myself in. Ultimately I missed the move 21...Nb2, which won the exchange ... and should have ultimately decided the game. Ultimately I hung around & tried to avoid losing, and managed to generate some play with my kingside pawns, and Matthew was kind enough to allow a perpetual check at the end (yes, if he simply avoids it with Kf8 or something similar, then my position is busted), so I could get away with a draw.
I have an interesting last round pairing .... white against Tony Davis. Tony started out the tournament with a number of wins & was equal leader at one point, but obviously the later rounds have not gone his way. The last time we played was at the ANZAC Day weekender last year, where I played the white side of the sharp Botvinnik Semi-Slav & went astray in the middlegame complications. I'm not sure if I want to repeat the line, but I get the feeling that Tony would be happy to play something sharp to finish off the tournament, so its there as an option. Either way, I expect something at least a little crazy! Maybe I can even play a decent game for once!?
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