Seeing too far

I have gotten into plenty of trouble by not looking far enough ahead in a chess position. This game has one of the few examples that I can think of where looking too far ahead allowed me to choose a second-best move, when a quick-reaction move would have been stronger.

Go figure.

perrypawnpusher - Duir
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6

9.Qd3

When I played this move, I knew that 9.Qc4+ was probably a bit better. It turned out (I checked after the game) that there are 3 Bill Wall games with it in The Database, not to mention perrypawnpusher - Avious, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 40).

What can I say? The patzer in me was hoping for 9...Nb4? (That's a poor way to play chess.)

9...Re8 10.0-0 Ne5 11.Qe2 d5 12.f4

Hoping to complicate things, and support my e-pawn as it stepped past Black's d-pawn on the way to e5; but 12.exd5 was better.

12...Nxe4

The frisky Knight should have returned with 12...Nc6, in order to answer 13.e5 with 13...d4 with a better game. It think that it is possible that my opponent overlooked the fact that my next move comes with check.

13.fxe5+ Kg8 14.Qf3

A hallucination. I was afraid of the correct 14.Nxe4 because I thought that 14...Rxe5, winnning a pawn and pinning my Knight, would be a good response. I did not see 15.Qf3 Rf5 16.Qb3!? moving the Queen to safety and pinning the Black d-pawn, thus saving my Knight.

14...Rf8

Black immediately returns the favor. Instead, 14...Nxc3 15.Qxc3 d4 would have been at least equal, maybe a bit better for the second player.

15.Qxf8+ Qxf8 16.Rxf8+ Kxf8 17.Nxd5

Suddenly the complications have vanished, and White is a pawn up. Should the Knights and Rooks be exchanged, there would be the risk of a drawn Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame, but I was alert to that slip up.

17...Bf5 18.Be3 Rd8 19.c4

After the game, Rybka 3 saw further than me: 19.Nxc7 Rc8 can be met with 20.Rf1 Rxc7 21.Rxf5+ Ke7 22.c3 and White is up a second pawn.

19...a6

Missing something in the position.

20.Rf1 g6 21.g4 c6 22.Nc3 Nxc3 23.bxc3 Rd3 24.Bc5+

It's funny, but I came up with this second-best move (24.Bd4 is simplest and strongest) because I had already looked at the possibility of sacrificing the piece several moves down the road...

24...Kf7 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.Rxf5+ Kg6 27.Rf2 Rxc3 28.e6 Rxc4 29.Re2

Of course, Black can have the Bishop, as the pawn is going to promote.

29...Rxc5

Oh, well.

30.e7 Rc1+ 31.Kf2 Rh1 32.e8Q+ Kg5 33.Qe7+ Kg6 34.Re6+ Kf5 35.Qf7+ Kg5 36.Qf6+ Kg4 37.Qf3+ Kg5 38.Qxh1 Kf5 39.Qe4+ Kg5 40.h4+ Kh5 41.Kg3 c5 42.Qe5 checkmate