Introduction

So I am preparing to play in a tournament, there is still some time till the tournament start, it is in the end of July, however it is an open tournament so I will face strong players, therefore I decided I will do a lot of training up to this tournament, to see how well I can do.

In my day-dreams I would win this tournament (unlikely), in my more realistic dreams I will score a norm, anyway I do intense training the following game is a training game with some person on the internet, to make this feel more like a "real" tournament game I played with my regulation board and pieces.

game-viewer at the bottom.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5

I honestly face this version of the queens gambit infrequent, it is a logical variation, although if white do not play actively
he just gives black a better game (solves the biggest problem black has).

Black has one problem with developing his pieces in this opening (it occurs in a lot of openings, but lets stay specific to this variation), the light squared bishop since it is hemmed in by blacks pawn chain, therefore this exchange solves this problem, and white at the same time resolves all the tension in the center, if white have no good plan he has just given up on battling for the advantage.

5. e3
This seemed a tad meek, surely there is no pressure on black when white plays this move, the better way to play to get some advantage would be 5. Bg5, this way there is some pressure on the black center.

5... Be7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. h3

This is another point where I think white played a lot to slow, there is a plan with f3-e4, I think that might be better, black should be able to take the initiative, I made my bid for it with my next move.

7... c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. Nf3 Bxc5 10. O-O a6

DATABASE_NOTE: Here we stumbled into a position that is played some times before, I did not know this during the game, but happily my a6 was the top move.

The obvious plan here is to play b5 developing my "problem" bishop to b7 and maybe I would like to play d4!, especially play d4 if Bb2 ever happens.

11. b3 b5 12. Bb2 d4

As stated in the previous note, I think the following is more or less forced.

13. exd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Qf3 Qc7

I was thinking trading two rooks for the queen would be interesting, but I develop my pieces and I might even have a slight advantage 16. Qxa8 Bb7 17. Qxf8 Kxf8 18. Rac1 Qd6 I think it probably is roughly equal, but I do threaten to win a pawn with Bxf2+ and winning the bishop on d3, other than that it is a position quiet playable for both sides I think.

16. Rac1 Bb7 17. Qe2 Rfe8 18. Qd2 Qg3

I liked this move, I possible should have calculated a little bit more before playing it, it is still good but there is some hope chess with this not calculating the critical response, at least I should have calculated the game continuation a little more clearly before playing this.

19. Ne4 Rxe4!!

So in my analysis of this I found that Nxe4 also wins, but this move has a pretty point other than the possible 20.Bxe4 Bxe4 with mate on g2

20. Bxd4 Qxg2+

This move being the point of Rxe4, from here white is not doing to well, in fact the rest of the game is of no interest, although Rcd1 is bad Rfd1 would be better after which black can win another pawn and that should be sufficient.

21. Kxg2 Rg4+ 22. Kh2 Rg2+ 23. Kh1 Rxf2+ 24. Kg1 Rxd2 25. Rcd1 Rg2+ 26. Kh1 Rg4+ 27. Kh2 Rg2+ 28. Kh1 Rd8 29. Bb1 Rxa2+ 30. Kg1 Rg2+ 0-1

If you prefer I also have the game on lichess in a study.
https://lichess.org/study/9reo1kYK