Mouse Slip Miracle!
Mouse Slip Miracle
One of the most frustrating things, when you play online, is when you mouse slip. You know exactly what move to play. That move would have been perfect but no. Somehow your mouse decides to be a bit cheeky and slips. In a recent game I played, I had a terrible mouse slip that would result in one of the craziest games I've ever played.
The Mouse-Slip Disaster
In this game, I was playing black against a 1623 from the United States. White would play e4, and I responded with c5, the Sicilian. White would play the delayed Alapin, which plays Nf3 before c3. This allows development and greater control of the d4 square.
The best response is Nf6, attacking e4. However, instead of dragging the knight, I accidentally played f6, which is a mistake and Stockfish gives white +1.8 on move 3. This practically surrenders the entire center to white and prevents the development of the kingside.
Trying to Save the Opening
White immediately plays d4, and breaks the center. I thought white would play cxd4 to place two pawns in the center, but he takes with the knight. I respond with e6, and I try to limit the motion of the white knight and pawns by essentially building a pawn wall.
White would give a check with Bb5+, and I blunder with Bd7, thinking I could take back. But this leaves e6 vulnerable for Nxe6, threatening the capture of my queen.
Luckily, white also blunders by giving an empty check with Qh5+, which allows me to build up the defense with g6. The queen retreats, giving me time to defend e6, with Nc6, unpinning my bishop. White captures my knight, which I recapture with bxc6, building a giant wall. We both quickly develop our minor pieces and castle kingside.
Coming out of the opening, I had the bishop pair, but they were placed behind pawns. I also had a giant wall of pawns that were only being protected with pieces. White had also developed well, but it is still difficult for white to penetrate past my defense.
The Middle Game
At the start of the Middlegame, I developed my queen and rotated my knight towards the queenside. because it was the only open space I had for attack. My pawns were blocking my queen and bishops from moving into the kingside. I would trade my knight, but white was able to apply serious pressure on my d6 pawn.
After white played b4, I couldn't take back since the c5 pawns was pinned to my queen. This meant that after dxc5, I had an isolated pawn. Nb3 sealed that white would have a material advantage. However, I made a second mistake by playing e5, as this also loses my bishop after Nxc5.
Luckily, white captured with the bishop instead, allowing me time to defend the bishop with Rfd8. White moves the queen off the d file, giving me an open file. Ba4 also forces Be3 because if my bishop captures the knight, white's bishop will be hanging.
However, that's when I make a second mouse slip with Rd7 instead of Rd6. This allows for white's knight to fork my bishop and rook. I was trying to stack my rook's on the b file if I could get rid of white's bishop.
Then, white makes a mistake with playing Rfd1, allowing me to get out of the pin by trading rooks. I also put my other rook on the b-file. White plays Qd3, to control the d file and protect the knight.
I also decide to play h6 to give my king a protective space after the queen checks it. Then, white makes a mistake with Nc5, trying to attack my bishop, but the knight was pinned to white's rook, which I captured.
However, the knight was also played to fork my queen and rook with Nxa6, which should have been played, but white blunders by capturing back the rook first, allowing me to get out of the pin.
Near the end of the middle game, I captured white's passed pawn and we traded knight for bishop. White was able to infiltrate with his queen and king, but I was given a chance when I checked white's king, and he tucked his king into the corner.
I tried to attack the backrank with my rook. But white was able to create a space with h3. So I went on the attack with my rook and queen. However, after Kg3, it was a drawn position. However, on move 41, I blundered with my g5, which allows Kf5, with a +15 advantage for white, as black's entire structure is in danger of falling.
However, that is a hard move to find, so white blunders with what looks like the natural Qxf6. But this allows my queen to infiltrate and I end up forcing a queen trade.
I do this because I have a rook vs white's dark square bishop. Soon, I am able to capture all of white's pawns on the kingside, except for one, while white captures all of my pawns on the kingside.
However, I activate my king to block the e8 square. No matter what white does, he can't get my king off the square because he has the wrong colored bishop. My rook is also able to get to the a file, capture white's pawn and create a passed pawn on the other side of the board.
At this point, we have about one minute remaining. I cut off white's king by putting my rook on the b file and push my pawn to promotion. However, white's bishop is protecting the promotion square, forcing my to trade the promoted queen with my rook.
Checkmate with less than a Minute
Running low on time, I was able to capture white's final piece easily. It was now a king vs. king and rook. I thought white would resign. However, he didn't.
Instead, he knew that checkmating with a rook could take a while, so he tried to flag me to get a draw. When checkmating with a rook, generally, you want to control the front row with your rook and push the king to the side of the board til you cover the squares in front of the king with yours and push the king to the next row with your rook.
However, this is easier said than done on falling time. However, in the end, on move 103, I was able to deliver checkmate with Rf1#. This was the longest game I have ever played, and I finally got the marathon badge.
I was surprised that I was able to turn the game from a completely wild opening to a winning endgame. What are your thoughts on this game? What was your longest game? What games have you mouse-slipped?
