Wait 'Till Next Year!

There was a time when the New York Mets baseball team was so good at losing that fans would appear on Opening Day with signs promising although this year may bring more disaster, Wait 'Til Next Year!

The following game is given with that spirit in mind, as White deserved – and no doubt next time will play – better.

macgregorchess - ahphong
blitz, FICS, 2010

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf6

An unusual reply (there are only 25 examples before this one in the New Year's Database, with White scoring 76%) looked at in the coverage of the game The Perfesser vs Talking LCD Chess.

7.f4

Certainly thematic, but White should, instead, regain both sacrificed pieces with 7.Qf5+ Ke7 8.Qxe5+ Kf8 9.Qxc5+ d6, leaving him two pawns to the good.

Interestingly enough, other games have seen 7.Qh4+, 7.0-0, 7.Nc3 and 7.d3.

The recommended 7.Qf5+ does not bring "Instant Victory" but it certainly brings "Instant Advantage" and should be remembered in the New Year.

7...Nf7 8.Qxc5 Qe7

Wow! Another thematic move, this time by Black. Usually ...Qe7 is part of a stirring counter-attack for the second player, but in this instance it has a flaw.

9.e5+

Readers, with their clocks not ticking, may have noticed 9.Qf5#.

9...Kg6 10.Qxc7

Grabbing an extra pawn, but it was probably time to grab the draw with both hands: 10.f5+ Kxf5 (if 10...Kh5 then 11.g4+ Kxg4 13.Qc4+ with the same idea) 11.0-0+ Kg6 12.Qd4 and White repeats the position by checking the enemy King.

10...Qh4+

Here comes trouble.

11.g3 Qg4 12.Nc3 Qf3 13.Rf1 Qc6

White has repelled the invader, and with an exchange of Queens would now stand about even, his "Jerome pawns" accounting for the sacrificed piece. Instead, he overlooks one last thing.

14.Qd8 Nxd8 White resigned