Overlooking

Chess can be so unfair. Overlook something when you attack, and you lose your advantage. Overlook something when you are defending, however, and you lose your game.

perrypawnpusher  - richardachatz
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6

An earlier game between us had continued 4...Bc5 5.Bxf7+ and I had been fortunate to pull off an endgame swindle for a draw in 71 moves.

5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game.

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4

8...Ng6

One of those reasonable moves that White can expect his opponent to play, even if there are no examples (until now) in the updated New Year's Database.

9.dxc5 Re8 10.Re1

If White is feeling "lucky" he could play 10.f4 directly, as 10...Nxe4 11.Nxe4 Rxe4 falls to 12.Qd5+ Re6 13.f5.

10...Kg8 11.f4 Qe7 12.e5

After the game Rybka pointed out that the e-pawn was still indirectly protected after 12.Be3, the move it preferred. After 12...d6 (if 12...Nxe4 comes 13.Nxe4 Qxe4 14.Bf2 winning Black's Queen for a Rook) 13.cxd6 Qxd6 14.e5 Qxd1 15.Raxd1 White would have only a small disadvantage.

12...Qxc5+

Planning to complicate things, but this backfires as he has overlooked White's responses. Pressure with 12...d6 against White's pinned e-pawn  was indicated.

13.Be3 Qb4 14.exf6 Qxb2 15.Nd5 Re4

Things have quickly gone from better to worse for Black, something that White could have demonstrated now with 16.Qd3, creating an X-ray attack through the Rook to the Knight on g6 and threatening checkmate in a way that only 16...Qf6 (losing the Queen) would prevent. Ouch!

16.fxg7

What's that old adage about, when you see a good move, sit on your hands and try to find a better one? 

16...Rc4

Black is still "complicating" things with his double attack on the pawn at c2, but he is still vulnerable to the move 17.Qd3, forking Rook and Knight.

Instead, I played what I hought was a great, killer move, but which was actually an error in "chess vision".

17.Ne7+

Planning, after 17...Nxe7, to fork King and Rook with 18.Qd5+, "overlooking" (in my mind's eye) that the d5 square would be protected by the Black Knight!

17...Kxg7

Lucky for me, my opponent also thought that I had played a good move. Rybka is reassuring that after 17...Nxe7 18.c3 the game is even, but I am very skeptical about that. 

18.Nxg6 Kxg6 19.Qd3+

Finally!

19...Kh5 20.Qf5+ Black resigned

Mate comes quickly.