1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 It was the last round and the team was only one point ahead of the second place team. I was playing Lee Owen who played for the third place teamand also a danger. This is what I had expected from my opponent. He was a classical set-up person, and he is also conservative. 6...Bg7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.0-0 0-0 Here, the normal moves are to play f4 and Nb3. I was prepared for only these two lines, and if he played something different I didn't know what I was going to do. 9.Kh1 Alas! My opponent plays the only move that I didn't have time to look at. I didn't know what to do. I thought that my plans should be the same as they should of been, and I played into my opponents hands. 9...Bd7 10.f4 a6 11.Bf3 [11.Qe1 This is bad because of... 11...Nxe4 12.Nxc6 (12.Nxe4 Nxd4µ) 12...Bxc6µ; 11.a4! Even though this would waste time on the knigside for white, I think it is the best way to squelch blacks plans of counter-attacking on the queenside. 11...Rc8 12.Qd2 Ng4 13.Bxg4 Bxg4 14.h3 Bd7 15.Rae1 Na5 16.b3²] 11...Rc8 12.f5 I don't think that this was his best try. Pawn to f5 allows my knight to hop into the e5 square and dominate the c4 square and also blockade the center. 12...Ne5 13.g4 Since he gave up that c4 square, he has to do something drastic in order to equalize. 13...b5 This was bad on my part. I should have moved my knight there right away. 14.g5 Ne8 15.Nd5 [15.Bg2 Nc4 16.Bc1 Nc7 17.a3 To stop Pb4 17...a5÷] 15...Nc4 16.Bc1 Bc6 [16...Nc7!? This is better than what I did in the game. My plans were to trade pieces and go into an endgame and try to take all of his over extended pawns.] 17.Nxc6 Rxc6 18.c3 Ne5 19.Nb4 Bg2 was better. He didn't see Rc4 and Qa8 on my part. 19...Rc4 20.Bg2 Nc7 21.Nc2 a5 22.Ne3 Here, my opponent offered my a draw. I stopped the clock and asked for a TD to come over and assist me. I wanted to see how a draw would affect are standings in the last round. My coach/dad was there to tell me that is was unclear at the time, so I played on in this very unclear position. 22...Rc6 23.Ng4 After I declined the draw offer, my position started to get a lot worse. 23...Ne8 I couldn't let him get in the pawn push to f6 [23...Nxg4 24.Qxg4 b4 25.e5 d5 26.f6± And I am in a lot of trouble.] 24.Bf4 Nxg4 25.Qxg4 Rc4 26.Rad1 [26.Qh4 b4 27.Rf3 bxc3 28.Rh3 h5 29.gxh6 cxb2! 30.Rb1 Bf6 31.h7+ Kh8 He cannot break through in this position.] 26...Qc8 27.Qg3 a4 On this move I hallucinated. I thought that I would be able to get the move Pa3 in myself, but I didn't realize that he could do it himself and ruin my plans. 28.a3 I didn't know what to do, and he just got out of time trouble so tried to complicate things the best way that I could. [28.fxg6 hxg6 29.e5 dxe5 30.Bxe5 Rg4 31.Qe3 Qe6÷] 28...e5 29.fxe6 Qxe6 30.Bxd6 Nxd6 31.Qxd6 The correct way to capture that pawn in his position was with the rook reaking mayhem on my queen-side pawns. Also I was threatining disaster at this point. I didn't know how any of my teammates finished, so I got up to see. Danny had drawn, Bryan had lost, and Pieta had lost. I was really depressed because I was losing on my board too. The only thing I could do was to draw, and I knew white didn't want to take one in his winning position. Here I had calculated Rxe4 with a lot of complications. I knew he was the conservative type, so on my gut instinct I asked to speak to my coach/dad. When I went up to ask what a draw would do for the team, he said seven magical words, "A draw would clinch the National Championship." My heart gave a leap, because I thought we had lost. I knew that if I played this move I could go into an endgame that was very drawish. 31...Rxe4 Here I offered a draw, and then he wanted to see his coach. It was a long sweat for me to see if he would take it. I read the coach's lips, and he said to his student, "Do what you gotta do." I felt a little happier when I heard that. 32.Qxe6 But of course, your opponent never helps you out. 32...Rxe6 33.Rd5 Re5 34.Rxe5 Bxe5 35.Rd1 [35.Bc6!? Rb8 36.Rd1 Bf4 37.Rd5 Bc1 And we are in the same drawish ending as the real game would have played out.] 35...Bf4 36.Rd5 Rb8! Here I offered another draw, and he accepted after thinking for three minutes. I was so happy that I drew in my horrible position. 1/2-1/2