Endgame swindle

When you play the nefarious Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) you have to get your wins where you can find them. Sometimes it is in the opening, happily, against a stunned opponent. Sometimes it is in the middle game, catching an unprotected King. Sometimes it is in the endgame, if you are lucky...

perrypawnpusher - richardachatz
blitz, FICS, 2010

This is not my typical Jerome Gambit endgame. Black is ahead a piece and a pawn and probably has a checkmate in 25 moves or so.

Still, there is something quirky about the position – and if I "sell" just the right idea to my opponent, I might be able to make use of it to swindle him. After all, it is a blitz game, and the clock is ticking.

48.Kb7

Here's my story: White will capture Black's Queenside pawns, but it will be to no avail, as Black's Knight will keep the White a-pawn in check while his King captures my King Rook pawn and very closely shepherds his own pawn to the Queening square.

48...h5 49.Kxa7 h4 50.Kxb6 Nb2

At this point, if this were an over-the-board game, I would put on my most intense expression, bite my lip worriedly, stare intently at Black's h-pawn and begin to gallop my King over to the Kingside in a useless attempt to stop that passer...

51.Kc5 Kf4 52.Kd4 Kg3 53.Ke3 Kxh3 54.Kf3 Kh2 55.Kf2 h3 56.Kf1

Phooey! He got there first! But – careful! I might still win your pawn! I might blockade it, too! 

Of course, I didn't say any of that, or type any of that to my opponent. But I wouldn't be surprised if that's what richardachatz was thinking. Which is just what I wanted him to be thinking...

56...Kh1

Well, that certainly takes care of any plans that I might have had to get in front of the h-pawn. No blockade for me!

(Of course, there was the alternative 56...Kg3 57.Ke2 h2 58.Kd2 h1Q 59.Kc3 Qc1+ 60.Kd4 Kf4 61.Kd5 Qc7 62.a4 Nc4 63.a5 Ne5 64.a6 Qc6+ 65.Kd4 Qc4 checkmate.)

57.Kf2

57...h2

And that ends any chance that I could sneak up on the pawn from behind and capture it while it was unguarded!

(Of course, if Black played instead 57...Kh2 my King would have to give way, he could play 58...Kg3 and then he would have a checkmate in a dozen moves.) 

It takes a while for my opponent to realize it, but the position is now a dead draw: Black's King blockades his own pawn, and I will shuttle my King from f2-f1 and back, keeping him in that position. The Knight and my passed pawn are irrelevant (for now).

58.Kf1 Nc4 59.a4 Ne3+ 60.Kf2 Nd1+ 61.Kf1 Ne3+ 62.Kf2 Nd1+ 63.Kf1 Nc3 64.a5 Nd1 65.a6 Ne3+ 66.Kf2 Ng4+ 67.Kf1 Ne3+ 68.Kf2 Ng4+ 69.Kf1 Ne3+ 70.Kf2 Ng4+ 71.Kf1 Ne3+ Game drawn by repetition

Probably a good thing: my pawn was beginning to look dangerous...