Dealing with Harassment

I have read that Grandmasters can look at a complicated position and almost immediately, without apparent analysis or evaluation, decide that a certain piece "must" go to a particular square. How different that is from my own experience...

perrypawnpusher - louarn
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5

Earlier this year we had played a couple of Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit games that I had won in 21 and 49 moves.

4.Bxf7+

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 N8e7

Planning for play on the f-file, especially targeting the square f5, which seems to be a magnet for "Jerome pawns".

10.0-0 Rf8

An interesting alternative is 10...d5, seen in perrypawnpusher - OverwiseMan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 27).

11.f4

Or 11.d4, as Louis Morin (mrjoker) has played successfully in a couple of games, guest6567 - guest4702, ICC, 2004 (1-0, 26) and mrjoker - tomnoah, ICC, 2008.


11...Bd7

With an eye toward putting the Bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal. Both 11...Nc6, as in perrypawnpusher - taman, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 35), and 11...c6 as in perrypawnpusher - Kovrad, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 16) were also playable. 

 12.f5 Ne5 13.d4 Ng4

As always, retreating to c6 was better, but harassing the Queen is irresistible. A quick peek at the New Year's Database shows that I have over 45 games with a Queen at e3 being attacked by a Knight at g4!

You would think that by now I would have come up with the proper response for White.

14.Qg5

An interesting idea, but I had forgotten that I had tried something similar in one of my games against MRBarupal and my pawn at e4 (as well as the square itself) proved weak. It should not be surprising, therefore, that Rybka prefers 14.Qe2 (although it sees the game as even after my move).

14...Nf6 15.e5

Rushing forward into trouble. First: 15.Nc3

15...dxe5 16.dxe5 Ne4

There's that weak e4 square again.

17.Qxg7

The position may look dangerous for Black at first glance, but White has two pieces attacking five pieces (six, if you count the enemy King) and the pair of advanced "Jerome pawns" doesn't make up the difference.

 17...Nxf5 18.Qxh7 Qe7

Exchanging Queens takes the heat off of Black's King and preserves his advantage, although 18...Be6 was even stronger.

19.Qxe7+ Kxe7 20.Nc3 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Nh4

Hoping to exchange another piece, bringing the game closer to a won endgame, as White's pawns will be no match for Black's extra piece.

However, this was just the kind of slip that I was hoping for as it allows me to reverse my fortunes.

22.Ba3+ Ke6 23.Rxf8 Rxf8 24.Bxf8 Kxe5

Up the exchange and two pawns, White now has the winning chances.

25.Bg7+ Kd5 26.Rd1+ Kc6 27.Kf2 Nf5 28.Bd4 b5

I think this must have been a mouse-slip.

29.Bxa7 Kb7

Allowing the exchange of Bishops only hastens the end.

30.Bd4

See above. 

30...Ka6 31.Be5 Be6 32.Bxc7 Bxa2 33.Ra1 Kb7 34.Rxa2 Kxc7

35.g4 Nd6 36.Kf3 Nc4 37.g5 Ne5+ 38.Kf4 Ng6+ 39.Kf5 Ne7+ 40.Kf6 Nd5+ 41.Kf7 Nxc3 42.g6 Ne4 43.g7 Nd6+ 44.Kg6 Black resigned