perrypawnpusher - Raankh
blitz FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6
7.Qxe5 Qf6
My opponent plays "part" of the Blackburne Defense (see "Half a defense is worse than none at all..." for another example), and then errs.
Curiously, there are 18 games with this position in the updated New Year's Database, with White scoring a lackluster 64%.
Blackburne's Defense called for 7...d6. Whistler's Defense called for 7...Qe7.
8.Qxc5 d6
Black's best is 8...Qe7 9.Qxe7+ Nxe7 when he is simply down two pawns.
An earlier game of mine continued instead: 8...c6 9.Nc3 Nh6 10.0-0 b6 11.Qe3 Ng4 12.Qg3 d6 13.h3 Ne5 14.d4 Nc4 15.b3 Na5 16.Be3 h5 17.f4 h4 18.Qf3 Bb7 19.e5 dxe5 20.fxe5 Qxf3 21.Rxf3+ Ke6 22.Rf6+ Ke7 23.Raf1 Raf8 24.Rxf8 Rxf8 25.Rxf8 Kxf8 26.Bg5 c5 27.d5 Bc8 28.e6 Nb7 29.Ne4 Ke8 30.Kf2 b5 31.c4 bxc4 32.bxc4 Na5 33.Nd6+ Kf8 34.e7+ Kg7 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - Saveurking, blitz FICS, 2010.
9.Qc3
I was so excited with my good fortune that I leaped to force the exchange of Queens. I should have recalled one of Bill Wall's recent games: 9.Qxc7+ Black resigned, Wall - Cheesepie, Chess.com, 2010
9...c5 10.Qxf6+ Nxf6
Black has very little compensation for his lost pawns. His only hope is to out-play me – which, to my embarassment, he does. This was not the first time Raankh schooled me (see "Kersplat!").
11.Nc3 Be6 12.d3 h6 13.0-0 Rhf8
This should lose another pawn. Perhaps Raankh was trying to open up a line of attack on my King? It all is guesswork, as I didn't even consider the move 14.Bxh6. Careless!
14.f4 Kg7 15.Bd2 d5 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5
I should have been at least a tiny bit suspicious that my opponent was being cooperative with my exchange-down-to-the-extra-pawns strategy.
18.Bc3+ Kh7 19.Rae1 Rae8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8
21.Re1
A mistake: the resulting endgame is notoriously drawn, providing that both players understand the strategy involved (we did).
The only "positive" aspect of the move is that losing my extra pawns – plus another one – will not matter, as the game will remain a draw.
21...Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1 Bxa2
Each player will now post his pawns on the same colored squares as his Bishop, and the enemy pawns will be blockaded. My extra pawn is meaningless. So are the next thirty moves.
23.b3
Losing a pawn, but locking up the Queenside.
23...Bb1 24.Bf2 b6 25.d4 cxd4 26.Bxd4 Bxc2 27.b4 Bd3
I still hoped that my opponent would make a mistake.
28.Kf2 g5 29.g3 Kg6 30.Ke3 Bb1 31.Be5 Kf5 32.Bb8 a6 33.Ba7 b5
34.Bb8 Kg4 35.fxg5 hxg5 36.Bc7 Kh3 37.Kf3 g4+ 38.Ke3 Kxh2
39.Kd4 Kh3 40.Kc5 Bf5 41.Kb6 Bc8 42.Kc6 Bf5 43.Kb6 Bc8
Here my opponent offered me a draw. I declined, because I wanted to try one more thing...
44.Kc6 Bf5 45.Kb7 a5 46.bxa5 b4 47.a6 b3 48.Be5 Be4+ 49.Kb8 b2 50.Bxb2 Kxg3
51.Be5+ Kf3 52.a7 g3 53.Bxg3 Kxg3 54.a8Q Bxa8 Draw
