After being saddled with a cramped position, White produces a brilliant combination to win a pawn. White's position was playable until a bishop was blundered on move 27.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5 This surprising move is not technically a gambit. 4.Nf3 White, keeping to his positional style, takes the safe route. After 4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4 Qa5+ 6.Bd2 Qxe5, 7.Ng3 is one fairly nice line for White, with a gain of time due to the imminent Ng1-f3. 4...e4 5.Nd2 Nf6 6.e3 Now the game has transposed into a French Defense with colors reversed, although White has an extra tempo and can try to pressurize Black's center. 6...Bb4 7.Be2 Correct was 7 Qb3 with a nice game as White hits the b4 bishop while exploring concepts like capturing on d5 followed by a quick Bf1-b5+ in some lines. 7...Be6 8.0-0 Bxc3 This exchange is not productive as White becomes strong on the dark squares and gets another pawn to fight for the center. Better was 8 . O-O. 9.bxc3 Nbd7 10.c5 This pawn should instead be used to capture on d5 at the right moment followed by the other c-pawn moving to c4 to break up the base of black's pawn chain. The right way was 10 Ba3, interfering with Black's ability to castle. 10...b6 11.Nb3 Qe7 Black should capture on c5 to double and isolate white's c pawns. 12.Ba3 White lines up his Bishop on the diagonal with his opponents queen. 12...0-0 13.Qc1 A fascinating battle is in the works. Now white threatens to win a pawn with cxb6. Black would not be able to recapture because white's bishop on a3 would have a discovered attack on the queen. 13...b5 .

14.Bxb5! What a splendid move. White wins a pawn by utilizing the discovered attack on the queen. If black plays 14 . cxb5, then 15 c6 wins the exchange. In this variation, Black's pieces would get in each other's way, for example 15 . Qd8 16 cxd7, allowing White to both win back the piece and capture the Exchange (rook for a bishop or knight). 14...Rfc8 15.Ba6 Rc7 16.c4 White wisely pushes to undouble his c pawns. 16...Nb8 17.cxd5 Bxd5 18.Be2 Nbd7 Since white's pawn formation points toward the queenside, White should continue operations on that side of the board. The b file is open. He should play to double rooks on the bfile and play Rb7.

19.f3 White tries to relieve the cramped formation on the kingside, but it was better to leave that section of the board closed. 19...Nf8 20.Nd2? This allows black to win the e pawn. 20...Ng6 [20...exf3 21.Nxf3 Ng4 22.Ne5 Nxe5 23.dxe5 Qxe5 wins pawn back for black.] 21.Bc4 f4 closing the kingside and continuing with queenside operations is better. 21...Qe6 22.Qc2 White slips a little trying to figure out how to deal with the tension in the center of the board. Now exf3 would equalize for Black. 22...Re7 23.Bxd5 Qxd5 Capturing with knight to threaten a double attack e3 would be met by the calm 24 Rae1. 24.fxe4 Nxe4 25.Nxe4 White trades in center to release tension. 25...Rxe4.

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