Right from |1.g3, it felt like Loren never had the upper hand in this game, but was very close.
Many times in this game, I was relying the principle of using the lightest possible touch on one side to strengthen my position on the other side. For example, |12.h5 improves my path to the right, while just barely maintaining a connection to the left: |12.h513.c714.f415.e416.d517.c518.b6.
Things got interesting around |18.t14. There are a lot of possible variations there, and we were both waking a tightrope. |20.s15, I think, is the only move that keeps me alive at that step, and then |21.v15 is the only move Loren has that stops me from connecting directly to the right side. I didn't see that coming. |22.r13, I think, is my only good reply, to which Loren inevitably responds with |25.w13. At that point I was very thankful for that 12.h5 move earlier—it made it much easier to find a good double threat in the upper right. There were probably multiple spots that worked for me there (maybe |26.r9, |26.s10, or |26.t8), but I felt most comfortable with |26.s7. I didn't see a good reply to that. Apparently, neither did Loren.
The |27.g14 position also demanded a light touch: |28.i1129.e1130.???, but |28.h1029.e1130.f11. A heavier touch, |28.f10 obviously works on the left, but it leaves a gap. I don't like leaving gaps if I don't have to, though here I don't see how Loren could have taken advantage of it.
I think |32.n7 was the last artful move that sealed the game. The rest was just Loren hoping for a blunder from me (such as |34.p635.t5), but I kept my guard up.
Many times in this game, I was relying the principle of using the lightest possible touch on one side to strengthen my position on the other side. For example, |12.h5 improves my path to the right, while just barely maintaining a connection to the left: |12.h5 13.c7 14.f4 15.e4 16.d5 17.c5 18.b6.
Things got interesting around |18.t14. There are a lot of possible variations there, and we were both waking a tightrope. |20.s15, I think, is the only move that keeps me alive at that step, and then |21.v15 is the only move Loren has that stops me from connecting directly to the right side. I didn't see that coming. |22.r13, I think, is my only good reply, to which Loren inevitably responds with |25.w13. At that point I was very thankful for that 12.h5 move earlier—it made it much easier to find a good double threat in the upper right. There were probably multiple spots that worked for me there (maybe |26.r9, |26.s10, or |26.t8), but I felt most comfortable with |26.s7. I didn't see a good reply to that. Apparently, neither did Loren.
The |27.g14 position also demanded a light touch: |28.i11 29.e11 30.???, but |28.h10 29.e11 30.f11. A heavier touch, |28.f10 obviously works on the left, but it leaves a gap. I don't like leaving gaps if I don't have to, though here I don't see how Loren could have taken advantage of it.
I think |32.n7 was the last artful move that sealed the game. The rest was just Loren hoping for a blunder from me (such as |34.p6 35.t5), but I kept my guard up.