The First Thing

It sounds a bit obvious, but the first thing to do on the way to winning a chess game is to try very hard not to lose. The following game illustrates this point – play along, it is not a "gamelet", but the end is well worth waiting for.

Wall,B - BarAbbas
Playchess.com, 2012


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.d3

Sang froid. White is down a piece for a pawn, but he will simply develop his game and see what happens.

6...Rf8 7.Bg5 Kg8 8.Nd5 Be7 9.Nxe7+ Qxe7 10.0-0 d6

11.c3 Bg4 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Qe8 14.Qd1 Nh5 15.Qb3+ Kh8 16.Qxb7 Qd7

In ten moves White has created no new weaknesses and has grabbed a second pawn as compensation for his sacrificed piece.

17.Qa6 Nf4 18.Rae1 Ne7 19.d4 Neg6 20.d5 h6 21.Bxf4 Nxf4 22.Re3 Nh5 23.Qe2 Qf7

Black is attacking, White is defending. The first player has not made things any more difficult for himself. He can play on a bit more.

24.Qg4 Nf6 25.Qh4 Qh5 26.Qxh5 Nxh5

All according to Black's plan: exchange pieces and play a favorable endgame.

27.b4 a5 28.a3 axb4 29.cxb4 Ra4

Black hastens to deal with the enemy passed pawn. Why not? It allows him to exchange more.

30.Rc1 Rfa8 31.Rxc7 Rxa3 32.Rxa3 Rxa3 33.b5 Rb3

Objectively, Black is still better, but he has to have begun wondering (this was a 10 minute game) if White's two pawns were beginning to measure up to his piece.

34.Rb7 Nf4 35.Rb6 Kh7 36.Kh2 Rb2 37.Kg3 g5 38.Rxd6 Rxb5

Each time White gives up a passer, he quickly gains another.

39.Rd7+ Kg6 40.Rd6+ Kh5

Black declines the draw that might have been available after 40...Kh7.

41.Kh2 Ng6

In club level blitz play, it was difficult to find what computers suggest later: 41...g4 42.hxg4+ Kg5. The win, if there were one, would still be a very long ways off, however.

Now, Black has stumbled into a forced checkmate.

42.g4+ Kh4 43.Rxg6 h5

This reminds me of the animated Roadrunner's eternal enemy, Wile E. Coyote, when he suddenly discovers that the boulder he has launched is going to land –  on himself.

44.Rh6 Rxd5 45.Rxh5 checkmate

Like I suggested: if you can avoid losing long enough, you just might win...