Whose Territory Are We Fighting On?

This game features a battle between a counter-gambit and a gambit response, in lines where frequently one side relies on the advantage of surprise to take its point.

What happens when neither player surprises the other?

perrypawnpusher - RVLY
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Some defenders play it because they hope that it will confuse their opponent. Others play it because they know that it will confuse their opponent.

4.Bxf7+

Me? I like to Jerome-ize the opening, offering my own gambit and my own surprise.

RVLY responded quickly to this move, however, so I wasn't too surprised to learn after the game that he has played against it before: he has 35 games with this line in the updated New Year's Database, (not counting this one).

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf6

At this point I began to suspect that someone had been reading this blog... specifically the recent "BSG: Later on in the Discussion" where I mentioned that this rare choice led to an even game. Of course, I did not know at the time that RVLY had played this move in 9 previous games. (Me? None.)

6.c3

I had recommended the retreat 6.Nf3 in the above post, but here I decided instead to offer a transposition to the 5...Ke6 line – which I later learned RVLY had also played, over a dozen times. (Me, five times.)

6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4

I was happy to reach this position, as White has good attacking chances for his sacrificed piece.

Safer was not taking the d-pawn, but preparing a retreat with 7...Ke6 as in richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009: 8.Nc3 c6 9.e5 Ne7 10.d3 Kf7 11.Qf3+ Kg8 12.0-0 d5 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Re1 Qf6 15.Qg3 Qxd4 16.Be3 Qf6 17.Rad1 Nf5 18.Qc7 Qf7 19.Qa5 Nxe3 20.Rxe3 b6 21.Qe5 Bb7 22.Rf3 Qe7 23.Qd4 Qd6?? 24.Qc4+ Black resigned.

8.d3

Best.

White got away with 8.Qh5 c6 9.d3 d5 10.Be3+ Kxd3 11.Qe2+ Kxe4 12.Bg5+ Black resigned in kocanda - RVLY, FICS, 2008.

Also playable: 8.Nc3 Qg5 (8...c6 9.d3 Bb4 10.Qh5 Nf6 11.Be3+ Kxd3 12.Qe2 checkmate, billwall - apollyon2010, Chess.com 2010) 9.0-0 Ke5 10.f4+ Qxf4 11.Rxf4 Kxf4 12.Qf3+ Ke5 13.Qf5+ Kd4 14.Qd5, checkmate, perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009.

8...Nf6

This move is designed to keep White's Queen off of h5 (see richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009, above). The value of this is seen in a game where Black chose to evacuate his King first: 8...Ke5 9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Nf6 12.e5 Ke8 13.exf6 Kf7 14.fxg7+ Kxg7 15.Bxd8 Kg8 16.Bf6 Bg7 17.Qg5 Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Ke6 19.Qxh8 b6 20.0-0 Bb7 21.Re1+ Kd6 22.Be5+ Kc6 23.Qf6+ d6 24.Na3 Re8 25.Rac1+ Kd7 26.Qf5+ Kd8 27.Bf6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009.

After Black's move there are still ways to attack his King – I just didn't remember any of them.

9.Be3+

Right piece, wrong square.

With 9.Bf4, White has cut off escape to the Kingside, and Black has to tread warily.

After the game Rybka recommended 9...Bb4+ 10.Nd2 Kc5 11.Qb3 a5 12.Rc1+ Kb6 13.a3 Ka7 14.axb4 d6 15.0-0 Kb8 when White has recovered his piece, and Black's King has bizarrely castled-by-hand on the Queenside; although White is better.

9...Kc5 is not an improvement, e.g. 10.Nc3 b5 11.Qb3 a612.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5+ Kb6 14.Qxa8 when White is better.

Still, the position is quite messy, and confusion often favors the attacker.

9...Ke5 10.f4+ Ke6 11.Nc3 d6 12.0-0

Wisely giving up on finding a "forced win," hoping that better development and Black's uneasy King will be worth the sacrificed piece after all.

12...g6

Keeping White's Queen off of h5, should he evict the Black Knight with e4-e5. Still, the strategic retreat 12...Kf7 was safer.

13.e5 Ne8 14.Qg4+ Kf7 15.f5 Kg7

16.f6+

This is not right, and hands Black the advantage.

After the game Fritz 8 suggested the very understandable 16.Bg5 Be7 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.f6+ Nxf6 19.exf6+ Qxf6 with an edge to White.

Rybka preferred the quiet, but perhaps more powerful 16.e6 Nf6 17.Bd4 c5 18.Bxf6+ Qxf6 19.Ne4 h5 20.Qg3 Qd4+ 21.Kh1 Rh6 when White's f-pawn finally advances with 22.f6+.

You can see that the position was still complicated.

16...Kf7 17.Qc4+

I was floundering here – for example, Black's natural response to this check caught me by surprise...

17...Be6 18.Qf4 dxe5 19.Qxe5 Bd6

20.Qb5 b6 21.Ne4 Qd7

Necessary was 21...h6

22.Ng5+ Kf8 23.Nxe6+ Qxe6 24.Bh6+

This impatient move doesn't lead to much. White would have a clear advantage after 24.Rae1.

24...Kf7 25.Rae1 Qc8

Surrendering.

I had expected 25...c6, which I was going to answer with 26.Qg5. Black could not then afford to capture the a-pawn with 26...Qxa2, as this move would well-answered by 27.Qe3. The Bishop check 26...Bc5+ would be met with 27.d4!?, as 27...Bxd4+ would draw the piece away from its protection of the e7 square.

Best for Black was 25...c6 26.Qg5 Qd5 in an unclear position where White probably has an edge.

26.Qd5+ Black resigned