Playing Cat and Mouse

It is always a good idea to keep track of who is the predator, and who is the prey. Witness the following game.

Wall, Bill - Guest249301
PlayChess.com, 2013

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qxc5

Passing on playing his usual 7.Qd5+, the "nudge". 

7...d6 8.Qd5+ Be6 9.Qxb7 Ne5

With 8...Be6, Black showed his skepticism about White's Queen moves, investing a pawn to back up his belief that the first player shouldn't be wasting time moving Her Majesty. Now he plans to play cat-and-mouse with his Knight, as the text move is the start of a plan to evict White's Queen from Black's position. I am reminded for the umpteenth time of the comment, Don't try to out-think me, just play the refutation.

Better was 9...Nh4, as in Wall, Bill - CheckMe, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0, 23).

10.f4

10.d4 was also playable, e.g. 10...Ng6 11.f4 with a balanced game. 

10...Nd7 11.O-O Nc5 12.Qb4

Bill notes that 12.Qc6? Bc4 13.Rf3 Ne7 would trap the Queen.

12...a5 13.Qd4 Nf6 14.f5

Or 14.e5 dxe5 15.Qxc5.

14...Bd7 15.e5 Nfe4 16.e6+

Instead, 16.d3 traps the knight.

16...Ke8 17. exd7+ Qxd7 18.d3 Nf6

White has won his piece back, and has a couple extra pawns - plus lines of attack to Black's King.

19.Nc3 Kd8 20.Bg5 Kc8 21.Rae1 Re8 22.Bxf6 gxf6 23.Rxe8+ Qxe8 24.Qxf6 

Black's King will get to safety, but the cost in material is too much.

24...Qe3+ 25.Kh1 Kb7 26.Nd5 Qe2 27.Kg1 Qxc2 28.Qe7 Nxd3 29.Qe4

No 29.Qxh7? Qc5+!  and Black will mate! Instead, White has a nice tactic to share with his opponent.

29...Qc5+ 30.Ne3+ Black resigned.

The Knight is lost.