(6) Cooper,John - Guo,Xi-Chang [B06]
Blackpool Chess Congress, 09.03.2008
[John Cooper]

John won the Challengers Section of the Blackpool Chess Congress in 2008 - this is his 5th round game against the 17-year-old Xi-Chang Guo.

1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 a6 4.a4 b6 5.Nf3 d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.0-0 Ne7 8.Bf4 h6 9.Re1 Nd7 10.Qd2 Bb7 11.Rad1 Kf8
11...Kf8 has been played before. My reply, 12 h4, tends to deter the King from walking to h7 - "castling by hand" - and more importantly, more obviously, stops 12 ...g5.

12.h4 d5?
This just helps to open up the position.

13.exd5 exd5 14.Bd3 Nf6 15.Be5 c5?
This is another mistake. After the game Black felt that 15 ...Nc6 was a better choice.

16.Qf4 Nc6 17.Bd6+ Kg8 18.dxc5 Nh5 19.Qh2 bxc5 20.Nxd5 Kh7 21.Bc4 Na5 22.Bc7 Nxc4
This is Black's best chance as other moves lost at least a piece.

23.Bxd8 Raxd8 24.Nc3 Bxf3 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Qc7!
The most active move.

26...Bxc3 27.bxc3
Black resigned seeing that he was lost. [27.bxc3 Rd1 28.Rxd1 Bxd1 29.Qxf7+ ] 1-0