White: Kimball Nedved
Black: Fritz 6.0
Exhibition Game, Pittsburgh Chess Club, March 13, 2001
English Opening, Flohr-Mikenas variation

 1 c4

   History was made that night -- Kimball Nedved didn't play 1 e4.

 1 ...   Nf6
 2 Nc3   e6
 3 e4

   An odd hybrid opening:  White is playing a move order that people use to
   avoid facing the Gruenfeld, while Black has started out as if to play a
   Nimzo-Indian.  Watson named this variation after Flohr and Mikenas, and
   the name just might stick.

 3 ...   d5

   3 ... c5 has fallen out of favor.  Kasparov, early in his career, won some
   nice games with the gambit 4 e5 Ng8 5 Nf3! Nc6 6 d4 cxd4 7 Nxd4 Nxe5
   8 Ndb5 (or 8 Bf4).

 4 e5    d4
 5 Nb1?!!

   White is trying to avoid exchanges, but this way is too labored.  The books
   only mention 5 exf6 dxc3 6 bxc3 (6 fxg7 cxd2+ 7 Qxd2 Qxd2+ 8 Bxd2 Bxg7
   9 O-O-O is pretty easy for Black to handle) 6 ... Qxf6.  Now after 7 d4,
   Black used to play 7 ... c5, but White's effortless development and control
   of the center proved to be a dangerous combination.  So Black tried
   7 ... e5!?, which is suitably disruptive.  The latest twist is for White to
   avoid this with the bizarre 7 Nf3 e5 8 Bd3!?.  This is not too relevant to
   the game at hand, but I mention it because I think this little corner of
   English Opening theory is not as widely known among amateur players as it
   deserves to be.

 5 ...   Nfd7
 6 f4

   After 6 Nf3 Nc6 7 Qe2 g5! 8 h3 Bg7 White would lose the e-pawn.  The text
   move is better but shows only that White is on the defensive.  6 ... g5
   would now be a natural continuation.  7 fxg5 would be forced, after which
   7 ... Bb4+ 8 Bd2 Bxd2+ 9 Qxd2 Nxe5 looks at least equal for Black.

 6 ...   Nc6
 7 d3?

   In hindsight, this might have been the losing move.  Instead, 7 Nf3 would
   stabilize the kingside and center long enough for White to catch his breath.

 7 ...   Bb4+
 8 Bd2   Bxd2+
 9 Nxd2  g5
10 Ngf3

   The point of 7 ... Bb4+ is that now 10 fxg5 can be met by 10 ... Qxg5, and
   White gets no compensation for the e-pawn.  White might have prevented loss
   of material by 9 Qxd2 (instead of 9 Nxd2); Black would then resume the
   attack by 9 ... f6 or 9 ... g5.

10 ...   gxf4
11 Qe2   f6
12 exf6  Qxf6

   White has no compensation for the pawn, but at least he can castle and
   hunker down for a while.

13 0-0-0 Nc5
14 Ne4   Nxe4
15 Qxe4  Bd7
16 Re1   0-0-0
17 Ne5   Nxe5
18 Qxe5  Qxe5
19 Rxe5  Rdg8
20 Re4   Rf8
21 Be2

   I assume that White did not like the look of 21 Rxd4 Bc6 22 c5 e5
   23 Rc4 Rhg8 24 Rg1 h5, and so on.  But sacrificing the exchange can bring
   only temporary relief.

21 ...   Bc6
22 Bf3   Bxe4
23 Bxe4  h5
24 Re1   h4
25 h3    c5
26 Bf3   Rh6
27 b4    b6
28 bxc5  bxc5
29 Re5   Rf5
30 Re2   Rg5
31 Rb2
White resigned

   In a tournament game, I would play on in this position, because Black will
   have to show some skill and patience to bring the point home.  But under
   the circumstances of the exhibition, it is understandable that prolonging
   the game might not have been worthwhile.