Troubled and Troubling Knights

I know that some chess players choose the Knight for their favorite piece, as its moves are "tricky" but I've never quite had to face the kind of the strange silliness that Black's Knights present in this game. Even so, they were more of a side show, as the "Jerome pawns" took center stage.

perrypawnpusher - whitepandora
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Nf6

10.0-0 Kf7 11.f4 Re8 12.f5 Ne5

If 12...Rxe4 then 13.fxg6+, as in perrypawnpusher- bnxr, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 29)

13.d4 Neg4 14.Qb3+ d5

Better was 14...Kf8 as seen in Vazquez - Carrington, 2nd match, 1876 (1-0, 34).

15.e5 Ne4

After the game Rybka 3 suggested that it was time for Black to return the extra piece with 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Rxe5 leading to an even game.

Now, White's "Jerome pawns" are beginning to look menacing. What to make of Black's advanced Knights? 

16.h3

Rybka suggested that White preface this move with 16.Nc3, which shows that computers can not only play chess, they sometimes can have a sense of humor.  The Black pawn at d5 is pinned, so White's move threatens the Black Knight at e4.

Unpinning the pawn with 16...Kf8 allows White to grab a pawn with 17.Qxd5, when Black can dump one troubled steed with 17...Nxc3 18.Qc5+ Kg8 19.Qxc3 and return the other with 19...Rf8 20.h3 Rxf5 21.Rxf5 Bxf5 22.hxg4, when White has an edge. 

Actually, Rybka suggests that White delay the pawn grab and try 17.h3 first, although this leads, after 17...Ngf2 18.Qxd5 Nxc3 19.Qc5+ Kg8 20.Qxc3 to 20...Ne4, when the second Black Knight can escape via g5.

16...Ngf2 17.Rxf2

I thought that my best chance here was to gather in the two Knights for one Rook. It turns out that I could have done better; or, more correctly, a better player could have done better...

It is easy to see that White has the alternate try 17.Be3, but Black's frustrating 17...Nh1 seems to hold that off, as 18.Kxh1 Ng3+ would lead to the same 2-for-1 swap.

Instead, White needs to shuffle in his Queen with 18.Bf4 Nhf2 19.Qf3 planning to return his Bishop to e3...

But Black is not asleep. With 19...Rf8 he can answer 20.Be3 with 20...Kg8 when Bxf2 can be answered by ...Bxf5 with equal chances. So White must first bolster his f-pawn with 21.g4, when 21...g6 is but one of Black's defensive ideas, i.e. 22.f6 Nxf6 23.Rxf2 Ne4 24.Qxf8+ Qxf8 25.Rxf8+ Kxf8 26.Nd2 Nxd2 27.Bxd2 and the drawish Bishops-of-opposite-colors endgame beckons...

17...Nxf2 18.Kxf2

So far, most of the excitement has been in the notes, but that is about to change. White has two pawns for the exchange, but as in my recent game against LuigiJerk, my unprotected King should be my undoing.

18...Qh4+

Here it comes...

19.g3

This is not the best response, objectively, and I knew it at the time. However, if my opponent was surprised at his sudden good fortune (and I was guessing that he was), he might not have any "grand plans" at this point. If so, he might want to just grab a pawn and see what happens.

19...Qxh3

Like this.

20.Qxd5+ Kf8

21.e6 Qh2+ 22.Qg2 Qh5 23.g4 Qh4+ 24.Qg3 Qf6

It is frustrating, to have the Queen's attack produce so little. White seems to be consolidating.

25.Be3

Sloppy. It was consistent to return a pawn to continue development: 25.d5 Qd4+ 26.Be3 Qxd5 27.Nc3 Qc6.

25...g6

Black could have played 25...Bxe6 when White would just soldier on with 26.Nc3.

26.Qf4 gxf5 27.gxf5 a5

Opening a door for the Queen Rook to enter play.

In the meantime, White's "Jerome pawns" are not only connected and passed, their development has opened lines against the Black King.  

28.Nc3

Development is good, but it was okay to take time for 28.d5 (followed by Bd4).

28...c6 29.Qh6+

Still thinking "safety" when I could have played for mate with 29.Qd6+ Kg7 30.Rg1+

29...Qxh6 30.Bxh6+ Kg8

31.Rg1+ Kh8 32.Bg7+ Kg8 33.Bh6+

I had no intention of repeating the position three times for a draw, I just wanted to catch my breath and gain a little clock time.

33...Kh8 34.Bg7+ Kg8 35.Ne4

There is a mate starting with 35.Be5+ but I had things under control.

35...Bxe6 36.Nf6+ Kf7 37.Nxe8 Rxe8 38.fxe6+ Rxe6

39.Be5 b5 40.Rg7+ Ke8 41.Rxh7 c5 42.c3 cxd4 43.cxd4 Rc6 44.Ke3 Rc2 45.Rh2 Rc6 46.Ke4 a4 47.Rh8+ Kd7 48.Rh7+ Ke6 49.Rh6+ Kd7 50.Rxc6 Kxc6

51.d5+ Kd7 52.Kf5 b4 53.Kf6 a3 54.b3 Kd8 55.Bd6 Kd7 56.Bxb4 Kc7 57.Ke7 Kb6 58.d6 Kb5 59.Bxa3 Kb6 60.d7 Kb5 61.d8Q Ka6 62.Qb8 Ka5 63.Bc5 Ka6 64.Qb6 checkmate