Continuing (from last post) with the game
perrypawnpusher - vermifugo
blitz, FICS, 2014
Black's return sacrifice of a Rook has yielded him attacking chances, just as it did for J.H. Blackburne in his famous counter-attack (in a different line) against the Jerome Gambit.
12.d3
Clearly it was time to attend to the defense of my King. Not the greedy 12.Qxg6?!, as this is met by 12...Qh4+ 13.g3 Qh3 when Black's counter-attack will give him the advantage.
12...Qf6 13.Nc3 g5
Black is trying to pry his way into White's defenses. He could have tried 13...Qd4, and after 14.Rf1 Nf6 15.Qf7 Re8 his pieces would be fearfully placed - but it is difficult to see how he will break through.
14.f5
There certainly was no way that I was going to allow the f-file to be opened, but in playing this move I missed 14.Nd5! Qd8 (14...Qd4 15.Qxc7+ Kb5 16.Qxb7+ Bb6 17.a4+ Kc5 18.b4+ Qxb4+ 19.Nxb4 Kxb4 20.Bd2+ Kc5 21.Qd5#) 15.b4 Bd4 16.c3 Nf6 17.Qf7 Nxd5 18.Qxd5+ Kd7 with great advantage. Of course, this is what Houdini saw after the game - and I'm no Houdini.
14...Qd4 15.Rf1 Nf6 16.Qh6?
Focusing on safe-guarding the Queen, but overlooking the fate of my King, as Black has enough materiel focused that he can sacrifice with effect.
Best would have been 16.Qf7! with the idea of 17.Qb3 and 18.Qa4+, exchanging Queens.
16...Bb4?
Lucky for my, my opponent wasn't Houdini, either.
Readers have probably found 16...Nxe4!, after which 17.Nxe4 Re8 leaves White only something like 18.Qe6, and after 18...Rxe6 19.fxe6 Bb4+ 20.c3 Qxd3 21.Kf2 Qxe4 22.cxb4 Bxe6 Black's Queen and Bishop dominate White's largely undeveloped Rooks and Bishop.
analysis diagram
17.Bd2
This helps shore up White's defense. Even better was 17.Bxg5!?, not because it grabs material, but because it allows a new response to Black's e-file pressure: 17...Nxe4 (17...Bxc3+ 18.bxc3 Qxc3+ 19.Kf2 Qd4+ 20.Be3) 18.dxe4 Re8 19.Be3 and White can begin to consolidate, e.g. 19...Qxe4 20.Kf2 Bxc3 21.bxc3 Qxf5+ 22.Kg1 Qxc2 23.Rf2 Qe4 24.Re1 with advantage.
17...Bxc3
Black still had 17...Nxe4, which was stronger than the text, but which no longer led to advantage.
18.bxc3 Qe5 19.Qxg5
White's 8 "Jerome pawns" look a little sturdier in protecting their monarch.
19...Nxe4
This is no longer enough, but it still has to be dealt with.
20.dxe4
At this point, even 20.Qxg4 was playable, as Black cannot gain enough from his threatened discovered check.
20...Qxe4+ 21.Qe3 Qxg2 22.Rg1 Qh3
23.Qxh3
At this point I didn't even look for 23.Qe4+ Kd7 24.Rxg4, as I knew that I had enough material to win - once my King was safe.
23...Bxh3 24.0-0-0 Bxf5
Now, only the clock is a villain.
25.Rg7 Rh8 26.Bf4 Rh3 27.Kb2 a5 28.Bg3 a4 29.Rd4 b5 30.Rf4 Be6 31.Rf6 Bd5 32.Rf4 Rh8 33.Rh4 Re8 34.Rhh7 Rc8
35.a3 Kb6 36.h4 c6 37.Bxd6 c5 38.Rg5 Bf3 Black forfeited by disconnection
White is a Rook up and has an advancing passed pawn that will cost Black a piece.
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