Friday, May 7, 2021

Play Over and Examine



In the following blitz game White wins a miniature in a straightforward manner.

Since it is always useful to play over and examine every game - wins as well as losses - it is worth checking out the notes, as there are further checkmate ideas that might be valuable to Danny80 when he encounters this opening again. 


Danny80 - Antonlutum

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021


1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6 


The Semi-Italian opening.

4.d3

White is willing to be patient and see if Black plays 4...Bc5, when the game can transform into a Jerome Gambit with 5.Bxf7+ 

4...Nd4 

But this is too much. Black transposes into a Blackburne Shilling Gambit with the not-so-helpful ...h6.

Even Stockfish 13 knows what to do.

5.Bxf7+ 


The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

The computer assesses White as being more than a Rook better.

4...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Ke8 

This apparently "safer" choice leads to checkmate.

Black would last a bit longer after 6...Ke6, but there is nothing pleasant about the straight-forward reply 7.Ng6 which will cost material, even if he fights back, e.g. 7...Rh7 8.c3 Nc6 9.Qb3+ Kf6 10.Qxg8 Kxg6 11.h4 (to chase the King away from its protection of the Rook) h5 (logical, but it does not fix things) 12.f4 and Black is already in a mating net.

7.Qh5+ Ke7 


8.Na3 

Bringing another piece into play.

A quicker resolution that relies on a pattern we have seen before is 8.Qf7+ Kd6 9.Nc4+ Kc5 10.Qd5+ Kb4 11.Qa5# 

Another sign that Black is in dire straits is 8.Bg5+ Nf6 9.Bxf6+ when White wins the Queen and then checkmates, i.e. 9...Kd6 10.Bxd8 g5 11.Qf7 Ne6 12.b4 a6 13.Nd2 b5 14.O-O-O Rh7 15.Ndc4+ bxc4 16.dxc4+ Kxe5 17.Qf5# 

8...Nf6 9.Qf7+ Kd6 


10.Nec4+ 

Winning, but so does involving the extra Knight White just developed: 10.Nac4+ Kc5 11.b4+ Kxb4 12.Rb1+ Ka4 13.Nb6+ Ka5 14.Qc4 Nxc2+ 15.Qxc2 Bb4+ 16.Rxb4 Kxb4 17.Qa4+ Kc5 18.Ba3+ Kxb6 19.Nc4#

10...Kc6 11.Ne5+ Kd6 12.Ng6 

Or as in the note above.

12...Nxc2+ 13.Nxc2 Qe8 


Hoping to swap Queens and slow the attack.

14.Bf4+ Kc6 15.Qc4+ Bc5 16.Nxh8 

This looks like a bit of psychology - "I can win any way that I want to" - although maybe White missed 16.Nd4+ Kb6 17.Qb5#. 

16...d5 


There really isn't anything for Black except to hope that his opponent's flag falls.

17.Nb4+ Kd7 18.Qxc5 c6 19.Qd6 checkmate


Crunch.


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