Safe and solid? | Dr.Dave, Exeter Chess

From a recent email

“The most important single feature of a chess position is the activity of the pieces… (opening, middle, and especially endgame)… The primary constraint on pieces’ activity is the pawn structure.”

— Michael STEAN

  [Event "Merseyside League"]  [Site "?"]  [Date "2019.10.15"]  [Round "?"]  [White "Blades, Tony"]  [Black "Webb, Tom"]  [Result "1-0"]  [ECO "A45"]  [PlyCount "49"]  [EventDate "2019.??.??"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 e6 3. e4 Be7 4. e5 Ne4 5. Bxe7 Qxe7 6. c3 (6. Qg4? Qb4+!) 6...  b6 $14 7. Nf3 (7. Bd3 $14) (7. Nh3 $14 {leaving the f-pawn free}) 7... Bb7 8.  Nbd2 (8. Bd3) 8... Nxd2 9. Nxd2 $11 d5 $6 {Transposing to a French structure,  but one without dark-squared Bishops.} (9... d6 $1 $11) 10. Bd3 Nd7 (10... c5  $1 $11 11. O-O Nc6 $1 12. Nf3 a5 $1 {The attack on d4 has slowed White down  and a swap of light-squared Bishops will do much to take the wind out of  White's sails.} 13. Qc2 h6 14. Qe2) 11. Qe2 O-O {Castling into it.} 12. O-O c5  13. f4 f5 14. exf6 Rxf6 $6 $16 {Black needs some activity to counter White's  obvious King's-side attack, but cannot get any on the King's-side itself.  Black had to move with all speed to create something on the other side of the  board.} 15. Rae1 Raf8 16. g3 Qd6 17. Nf3 cxd4 18. cxd4 Rh6 $2 $18 (18... g6 19.  Ng5 $16) 19. Ne5 $5 (19. Ng5 $1 $18) 19... Bc8 (19... Nxe5 20. fxe5 Qe7 21.  Rxf8+ Qxf8 22. Rf1 $18 (22. Rc1 $18)) 20. Ng4 Rhf6 21. Nxf6+ Rxf6 22. f5 Nf8  23. fxe6 Rxe6 24. Qh5 Rh6 25. Qf7+ 1-0