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Annotated Game
Braveheart6642 (1650)-Raj_R (1550)
1-0
Friendly
Finished February 27th, 2006
GameKnot Chess Server
Annotator: Braveheart6642
Blackburne Shilling Gambit
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
{ Normal Dbl K-pawn opening here. }
3. Bc4 Nd4 { He tries a very sharp and speculative line as black. I could have avoided trouble with the straightforward c3, NxN; QxN... with d4 to follow. }
4. Nxe5 Qg5 { Ah... a cute little double attack that ensures that white will pay for his transgressions, or so black hopes. }
5. Bxf7+ Kd8 { Ke7 is book which maintains pressure on the white B, but it also blocks development of black's dark B. Thus the compromise of Kd8. Here white has a difficult choice... I looked at all ways to try to save the piece, including c3, d3. and Qh5... none work. The attack on the g2 pawn is too devastating. White's best is the book offered O-O. }
6. O-O Qxe5 { Black feels justified at having gained a piece at the price of 2 pawns and his K in the center... perhaps white has enough compensation if he plays to his strengths and uses the extra pawns he has in the center to make up for a lack of pieces. }
7. c3 Nc6
8. d4 { A straightforward advancing of pawns in the center. His Q must move, but cannot take e4 because of Re1 winning the Q or mating the K on e8. }
8. ... Qf6
9. Bc4 d6
10. Be3 { Completing development ahead of black is crucial here. Resist all temptations to advance more pawns until all pieces are in play. }
10. ... Bd7 { If he had challenged my B with Be6; d5! wins back the piece for a pawn. }
11. Nd2 Qg6
12. f4 { His Q move threatens to begin a mating attack, but most of his pieces are on home squares and I will develop my Q, connect rooks, and defend the threat at the same time. Dual purpose moves save time for the really important moves such as f4, establishing unquestionable control of the center. }
12. ... Bh3
13. Qf3 { With the Q move, I stop his threat, gain time on his B, and complete my development... the rooks are connected. Now it is time to gain the rest of my compensation for the piece... space. }
13. ... Bg4
14. Qf2 Be7
15. f5 { Not h3? Bxh3! The advance at f5 takes full advantage of his lack of center pawns, and e5 is denied him for his N to come to the rescue. The Q must again lose time. }
15. ... Qf6
16. h3 Bh5
17. g4 { Chance favors the bold. My K is destined to sit out in the open for the rest of the game... but this is the best way to maintain the momentum and the attack. Do not be afraid to take risks when warranted. }
17. ... Be8 { Not Bf7?... g5! and black's Q has no options. }
18. g5 Qf8 { With this move, my space advantage is complete... the pawns rule supreme. Most of his pieces are held to the back rank, the K's N and rooks hopeless of any play, the Q's N not able to redeploy to the K-side. But now what? }
19. b4 { When in doubt, advance more pawns... might as well get them *all* into the fray! This one was quite natural though... it follows Lasker's maxim to always expand options for one's one pieces while limiting those of your opponent. The Q's N is now prevented from driving my light B from the a2-g8 diagonal. }
19. ... Kc8
20. a4 { Advancing pawns like companship... why not? His K is trying to move to this side to find a way to get his Q's R out in some fashion. }
20. ... Bd7
21. h4 { solidifying the hedgehog formation which frees my dark B from defense duty. }
21. ... Qe8
22. Qg3 { This Q redeployment is generally supportive of a e5 and f6 thrust. }
22. ... Qd8 { Evidently bringing the Q out to h5 did not suit him. }
23. Nf3 Kb8
24. d5 { I thought about e5 a long time, but there was no easy way to support f5 to allow an e5 advance with the N at f3 supporting e5. Bd3 has the B hanging on a newly opened d-file after e5, d6xe5; d4xe5. Other moves such as b5 only drive the N to a5 where his chances for tactics improve. d5 clears up the question of the Q's N once and for all. }
24. ... Ne5
25. Nxe5 dxe5
26. Qxe5 { Winning a pawn... now I have 3 pawns for the piece, and the March of the Pawns continues. }
26. ... Bd6 { Perhaps Bf8 was better, but then f6! is disasterous for him. }
27. Qxg7 { 4 pawns for the piece. }
27. ... Ne7
28. Bd4 { Domination of the long dark diagonal is crucial here. }
28. ... Rg8
29. Qxh7 { 5 pawns. }
29. ... c6
30. f6 { This is truly crushing, as we will see. }
30. ... Ng6
31. dxc6 { Oooh. discovery with double attack. Here I have 6 pawns for the original N. I call this the Six Pawns Attack. }
31. ... Rh8
32. Qxg6 Bxc6 { He does get one pawn back. }
33. f7 Rf8
{ Keep advancing the pawns... break up the bishop rake on the K-side. }
34. ... Bxb5 { Of course, the B has nowhere to go... If Bd7 then Qxd6+. Perhaps Be8 allowing PxB(Q), RxQ was better. }
35. axb5 Qc7
36. Qe6 { Threatening the brute force Qe8+!... RxQ, PxR(Q)+... or if Qc8 instead of RxQ, then QxQ followed by Bg7 winning. }
36. ... Bh2+
37. Kh1 Bg3
38. Bg7 { Black Resigns, for there is no further defense to the f-pawn queening, except for Rxf7. If Bd5... BxR, BxB; Qe8+, Qc8; Be6!, QxQ; PxQ(Q)+... or if Kc7 after Be6, then b6+! winning the Q. If instead of Bd5 he tries Qd5, then BxR, QxQ (not QxB?, Qe8+!); BxQ, Kc7; Bc5, Bd5; BxB+, KxB; f8(Q)+, RxQ; RxR, KxB; Rf5! (boxing the K), Kd6; Rxa7, Kc7; Rf6 Kb8; b6, Kc8; Rf7 with mate on the next move. }
1-0
