London Derby

ROUND 2 of Bradford U171 featured something of a London derby on top board this morning as I had Black against Wimbledon's Yasser Tello (159).

While I was thinking about my 29th move, White, for the second time in the game, offered a draw

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
The position is dead-equal, but I was determined to play on - not out of annoyance at the improper draw offers, nor because I felt my nine-point ECF grading advantage was likely to be significant, but because I wanted to be sure I had tried everything I could.
29...Bc6 30.Qc1 Bd7 31.Nxd6 Qxd6
Opposite-coloured bishops and locked queenside pawns, but I felt Black has a tiny edge thanks to the light-square holes around White's king. However, the analysis engines Komodo10 and Stockfish10 reckon the position is still absolutely even.
32.Qf1
Defending the light squares, but somewhat passively. The engines prefer 32.f3 or 32.Qc3.
32...Qf6 33.Qd3 Bh3 34.f4?!
Gaining space, but doing nothing about the light squares. It was almost certainly better to push this pawn just one square forward.
More than 40 moves later, and after much probing, I had come up with a winning plan - swop off into an ending of opposite-coloured bishops!

Black to make his 76th move

*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
76...Qxf2+ 77.Kxf2 Ke4 78.Be3 Kd3 79.g4 Kc3 80.f5 g5??
Playing too quickly in my opponent's mild time-trouble (the time control is all moves in 110min with a 10sec increment).
81.Ke2??
White wins with 81.Bxg4, as I instantly saw, with a feeling of horror, after making my last move.
81...Be4
Now everything is back to 'normal'.
82.Kf2 Kxb4 83.Kg3 Kc4 84.Kxh3 b4 85.Kg3 b3 86.Bc1 Kxd4 87.Bb2+ Kc4 88.Bxf6
A better try was 88.h4, but Black still wins.
88...d4 0-1