The Somnambulists

 My opponent and I were obviously up past our bedtimes when we played the following game. It is as if we were sleep-walking... The checkmate that Black falls into is quite a nightmare, however.

perrypawnpusher - robertpthom

blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+

Very tempting, but as we have seen before 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ Kf7 11.Qxd4 d5 is better and leads to equality.

8.Kd1 Nxa1

During the game I knew that this was the wrong move, (8...hxg6 was still best) but I could not clear my head as to why.

9.Nxh8+ Ke7

The updated New Year's Database has 37 games with this position, not counting the current game. White scored 31 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses – even though the position is White to move and mate in 1.

10.Qf7+

Missing, of course, 10.Qe5 mate. Amazingly, of the above 37 games in the database, only 4 ended with this winning move, including perrypawnpusher - mbranimir, blitz, FICS, 2009. Ouch!

It's not like it's rocket surgery...

10...Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxg8

Again, instead, there was 12.Qe5 mate.

Hats off to jtapia, who found the move in his game against jmercado, FICS, 2007. Eight of us did not, although Ronels played 12.Qg5+ Nf6 13.Qe5 mate against sarosha, FICS, 2010. 

White is still better, of course, but as long as the game continues there is opportunity for error.

12...Bh6

This offer to safeguard the King by exchanging Queens eliminates the danger of an early checkmate, but it drops a piece and turns the game into a technical win for White. 

13.Qxd8+

Even stronger was 13.Qxh7+ Ke6 14.d4, but I was comfortable with the Queens off of the board.

13...Kxd8 14.Nf7+ Ke7 15.Nxh6 d6

16.b3 Kf6 17.h3 Be6 18.Ng4+ Kg6 19.Bb2 Nxb3 20.axb3 Bxb3+

Black's connected passed pawns on the Queenside do not make up for being down two Knights.

21.Ke2 Bc4+ 22.d3 Bb5 23.f4 Rf8 24.f5+ Kg5

Black wants his King active, but he compounds his difficulties by walking into a mating net. 

25.Bc1+ Kh4 26.Nc3

This move is, of course, okay, but 26.Bf4 starts a mate-in-eleven. 

26...Bd7 27.Nd5 c6 28.Nf4

Closing the net around the Black King, although 28.g3+ led more directly to checkmate. 

28...d5 29.Kf3 dxe4+ 30.dxe4 b5 31.g3+ Kg5 32.h4 checkmate