Faster Than A Speeding Strange Beast

Continuing to present the games from the bullet match at lichess.org between Philidor1792 and Slayman, using the unusual Jerome Gambitish line mentioned a couple of posts ago - see "Jerome Gambit: Strange Beast".

Philidor1792 - Slayman
2 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2017

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bxf7+ 

Here we go. Philidor1792 was successful with this line in this rocket-fast match, winning three games, drawing one, losing none.

4...Kxf8 5.e5 Ng8

As we have seen, the best defense starts with 5...Qe7 6.Qe2 Ne8. However, in a 2 0 game you barely have time to breathe, let alone analyze deeply. Knowing anything about the line is a great advantage.

6.Nf3 Bc5 7.c3 d3

Black has no intention of helping White's development with 7...dxc3 8.Nxc3.

8.Qxd3 Bb6 9.O-O Ne7 10.Qc4+ Kf8 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bf4 Rg8 

"Objectively" Black is better, with a piece for a pawn, but his position is horribly cramped and undeveloped.

13.Nbd2 g5 14.Bg3 Nbc6 15.Ne4 Nf5 16.Nf6 Nxg3

Yipes! This overlooks a checkmate-in-two.

17.Qxg8+ Ke7 18.Qg7+

Move, move, move! Missing 18.Nd5#. Move, move, move!

18...Ke6 19.hxg3 Nxe5 20.Nxe5 Qxf6 21.Qxf6+ Kxf6 

In a game with a slower time control, exchanging Queens would not be the best plan. Here White is up the exhange, and he can calculate better (and faster) with fewer pieces on the board.

22.Nc4 d5 23.Nxb6 axb6 24.a3 Be6 25.Rae1 c5 

Black needs to activate his Queenside pawn majority.

26.Re3 d4 27. cxd4 cxd4 28.Re4 Rd8 29. Rd1 d3 30.Rd2 Bf5 

31.Rb4 Rc8 32.Rxb6+ Rc6 33.Rxc6+ bxc6 34.f3 Ke5 35.Kf2 Kd4

36.g4 Bg6 37.g3 Kc4 38.Ke3 Kb3 

39.Rxd3+ 

An option always available to the one ahead the exchange.

39...Bxd3 40.Kxd3 Kxb2 41.Kd4

Nice. White could have decided to run his a-pawn, but after 41.a4 Kb3 42.a5 c5 43.a6 c4+ 44.Ke4 c3 45.a7 c2 46.a8/Q c1/Q both of the Queens are back on the board, and calculation becomes a bit more time-intensive. Only the clock can beat White now, so he keeps it simpler.

41...Kxa3 42.Kc5 Kb3 43.f4 Kc3 44.f5

Now there will be only one Queen on the board, and White only needs one...

44...Kd3 45.f6 Ke4 46.f7 Kf3 47.f8=Q+ Kxg3 48.Qxh6 Kxg4 49.Kxc6 

Alas for Black, if his remaining pawn were either the f-pawn or h-pawn - and more advanced - he would still have drawing chances. Was not to be...

49...Kg3 50.Qxg5+ Kh2 51.Qg4 Kh1 52.Kd5 Kh2 53.Ke4 Kh1 54.Kf3 White won on time

Each player spent around 2 seconds per move.