Philadelphia Open Round 5: Bartholomew vs Holt

It was a pleasant surprise to see a Benko Gambit in this round. That's a signal that Black's playing the round for a win.

On move 18, Holt decided to ditch his Queenside Pawns and play for the initiative. With the help of hindsight, it's clear that Holt's idea left Bartholomew with good chances. Bartholomew, seeing a chance to get a perpetual bailed out and took the easy draw. Can't say I blame him, but the half point turned out to be rather costly down the stretch.  As such, this game goes on the heap of "might have beens".