Hurry! (You first...)

The standard advice when your opponent is low on time is to take your time and play good moves. Good moves will cause your opponent more problems, and cause him to take even more time, or force him into making bad moves.

The temptation is great, however, to blitz an opponent who is short on time. I think that this is what happened in the following game, when Black should have spent a bit more time on his own moves instead of trying to hurry me and mine.

perrypawnpusher - HGBoone
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

I had forgotten at the time of this game, but HGBoone and I had played twice previously, both games being Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambits: perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 27) and perrypawnpusher - HGBoone, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 46)

4.Bxf7+

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

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qe3 Qf6

10.Nc3

I played 10.0-0 previously, in  perrypawnpusher - TJPOT, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 48) and perrypawnpusher - LeiCar, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 25). 10.d4 was an option of about equal strength.

10...b6

Instead, the more prudent 10...c6 was my opponent's choice in perrypawnpusher - pitrisko, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 28).

11.Nd5 Qd8 12.0-0

White could grab a pawn, instead, and have a roughly equal game after 12.Qc3, e.g. 12...Kd7 13.Qxg7+ N8e7 14.d4 Bb7 15.Nf6+ Kc8.

The text move is okay, but it shows the shallowness of my planning.

12...Bb7 13.f4 N8e7 14.f5 Ne5

15.d4

This is the standard Knight-kick, but 15.f6 was probably better.

15...Ng4 16.Qe2 h5

Black has aggressive intentions, or else he would have played 16...Nf6.

17.Nf4 a5 18.Ne6 Qd7 19.Nxg7+ Kd8 20.Nxh5

Knocking the prop out from under the advanced enemy Knight.

My time was getting short, and I noticed that a few times my opponent replied almost instantly. His next move was too quick.

20...Nf6

Bad. I had expected the straight forward 20...Rxh5 21.Qxg4.

21.Nxf6 Qc8 22.Qg4 Ba6

At long last my opponent gets to play a move that he had planned for when my Queen and Rook were on the same diagonal.

23.Re1

Stronger was 23.Qg7, now or on the next move.

23...Rf8 24.e5 Nxf5 25.Bg5 Ne7 26.Qxc8+

I think this surprised my opponent, the idea that I would swap Queens in the middle of an attack; but I figured that the Bishop pin was enough to win. I did not want to waste too much time figuring out better alternatives that also won.

26...Rxc8

The rest of the game is just the playing out of White's advantage.

27.Nd5 Re8 28.exd6 cxd6 29.Bxe7+ Rxe7 30.Nxe7 Rxc2

31.Nf5 Bb7 32.Ne3 Rxb2 33.Reb1 Re2 34.Re1 Rd2 35.d5 Rd3

Black is down a Rook. Winning the d-pawn will only un-complicate the game further for White by removing the minor pieces.

36.Rab1 Kc7 37.Kf2 Rd2+ 38.Re2 Rd4 39.Rc2+ Kb8 40.Rxb6 Rf4+ 41.Kg3 Re4 42.Kf3 Rb4 43.Rb2 Rxb6 44.Rxb6 Ka7 45.Rxd6

45...a4 46.Ke4 a3 47.Ke5 Ka8 48.Rd8+ Ka7 49.d6 Bc6 50.d7 Kb7 51.Kd6 Bb5 52.Rh8 Bxd7 53.Kxd7

53...Kb6 54.Rh5 Kb7 55.Nc4 Kb8 56.Rb5+ Ka7 57.Kc7 Ka6 58.Nxa3 Ka7 59.Ra5 checkmate