It's Not A Blunder If It Doesn't Get Refuted

I was feeling pretty good about the following game until I played it over and almost choked on the winning 21st move. I wonder if my opponent had the same experience? Oh, well, strange things happen in blitz...

perrypawnpusher  - dkahnd
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6

My opponent and I have met a couple of times before. Once he chose 6...Kf8 (1-0, 20) perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010.

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6 10.0-0

There are 48 games with this position in the updated New Year's Database. White has scored 66%, but it has caused me my share of headaches.

10...Rf8 11.f4

Here 11...Ng4 12.Qg3 looks critical.

MRBarupal beat me with 12...Qh4 (perrypawnpusher - MRBarupal, blitz, FICS, 2010 [0-1, 47]) while I was able to hold jgknight to a draw in that line (perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2010 [½-½, 58]).

Less effective was 12...h5 (perrypawnpusher - lorecai, blitz, FICS, 2010, [1-0,47]).

Strongest may be 12...Qf6, which was reached by transposition (10.f4 Ng4 11.Qg3 Rf8 12.0-0 Qf6) in perrypawnpusher - dkahnd, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 37).

11...Rf7

11...Kd7 was perhaps a bit too risky in perrypawnpusher - blackburne, JG3 thematic, ChessWorld, 2008 (1-0, 38)

12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Neg4

Certainly tempting, given the above lines, but 13...Nc6 might be better.

14.Qf3 Re7

15.h3 Rxe4

The play is heating up. Black did not like the looks of 15...Nh6 16.Bxh6 gxh6, so he pushes ahead.

16.hxg4

After the game Rybka offered 16.Bg5 Rxd4 17.hxg4 as a bit better.

16...Rxg4 17.Re1+ Kf8 18.Nc3

A reasonable pawn sacrifice to focus on development to further the attack.

18...Rxd4 19.Bg5 Bd7 20.Qe3

More in line with the position was repositioning the Knight with 20.Ne2 Rc4 21.Nf4 giving an edge to White.

20...c5 21.Nd5

Wow.

If we had eggs, we could have ham an eggs – if we had ham.

Readers can probably see that 21.Rad1 keeps the game even.

21...Rg4

Double Wow.

Now Black goes down in flames.

22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Qh6+ Rg7 24.Re7

24...Qxe7 25.Nxe7 Re8 26.Re1 Rexe7 27.Rxe7 Kxe7 28.Qxg7+ Kd8 29.Qxf6+ Kc7 30.Qe7 Black resigned