Friday, May 4, 2012

An Okay Game





I don't think that I will ever play a "great" or "wonderful" game (especially as long as I play the Jerome Gambit), but I sometimes aspire to play "an okay game" of some sort or another. With the following game, I'm getting a bit closer, I think.


perrypawnpusher - Tjofs
blitz, FICS, 2012


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




The Italian Four Knights Game. 


Instead, 4...Nxe4 would have initiated the "fork trick". Now I get to play the Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.


5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 Qe7 




Black has a 4:1 advantage in development, plus two extra pieces. The game is practically won...


8.dxc5 Qxc5 9.Be3 


Sharp, and suggesting that I know what I am doing.


Previously 9.O-O was tried in perrypawnpusher - barbos, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 49).


9...Qb4


Or 9...Qd6 as in perrypawnpusher - braunstein, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 54) or 9...Qe7 as in perrypawnpusher - Gibarian, blitz, FICS, 2010 (0-1, 37).


My opponent was pretty sure it was time to counter-attack.


10.O-O Nxe4


Consistently "moving forward", but erronious. 


11.Qd5+ Kg6 12.Qxe5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qg4 




14.f3


Stronger was the more direct 14.Bd4 Rg8 15.Qxc7


14... Qe6 


I think that time was already beginning to affect us. Simplest was 14...d6


15.Qg5+ Kf7 16.Rfe1 


Likewise, getting the Bishop to d4 right away was the correct idea.


16...Qg6 17. Qf4+ Kg8 18.Qxc7 h6 19.Bd4 Kh7 



Well, I've played the "right" moves, even if not in the "right" order. 


Even though White's material advantage is only one, isolated, pawn (and this against the background of a possible Bishops-of-opposite-colors drawish endgame) Black's lag in development and unsafe King clearly gives the first player the advantage.


20.Re7 Rg8 21.Qe5 d6 22.Qg3 


Looked like a good idea at the time. Cutting off counterplay??


22...Qxg3 23.hxg3 Bf5 


24.Rxb7 a6 25.Re1 Bxc2 26.Ree7 Kg6 




White's pieces are in place, and this escape only helps.


27.Rxg7+ 


Fair enough, although 27.g4 would lead to mate.


27...Rxg7 28.Rxg7+ Kf5 29.g4+ Kf4 30.Rf7+ 


Again, quicker would be: 30.Kf2 Bg6 31.Rxg6 Rh8 32.g3#


30...Kg3 31.Bf2 checkmate



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