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| Black has just played 16...Nb6-c4?! |
*****
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Black had a bad position anyway, but the only good thing about the text is its aggressiveness.
White has several strong continuations, including 17.Qh3+ and 17.Bc3, but probably best is 17.Ng5, when 17...Rf7 defends the f7 pawn and prevents a fork of Black's rooks, but 18.Qh3 Kc7 19.e6 fxe6 20.Nxe6+ leaves White with an advantage worth more than a minor piece, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.
Instead I played 17.exd6?! Bxd6 18.Nxd6?!, exchanging White's well-placed knight for Black's unmoved bishop. Not only that, but after 18...Rxd6 Black is helped to dominate the d file, a process continued by 19.Re4?! Rhd8.
I cannot recall my exact thinking at the time, but I am fairly sure I was both intimidated by the knight at c4 and pleased to exchange a pair of minor pieces in the belief this would make life easier against an opponent who outrated me by 137 elo.
In other words, a clear case of playing the rating rather than the position.
LESSON: just as contempt for a weaker player can make you careless, so exaggerated respect for a stronger opponent can lead to timidity and a failure to properly look for opportunities.
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