Nine Moves From Blunder To Checkmate

This was an extremely difficult game that ended with :24 seconds on my clock and one move away from a hard-earned checkmate!

Viewers should not overlook the large amount of surprises in this game from moves 1-30. This was a very vigorous game: two Queenside Castles, offense from White (blitzbox) using King's pawns and the heavy defense exhibited from White - which was only narrowly over-turned by Black (myself as gargantuanmedia).

Starting at move 32 the offensive momentum finally shifted back to Black which pushed White's King out of it's "comfort zone". This is key to the end of the game only 11 moves later...

There was some extremely confusing and frustrating moments at the end of the game. At move 34 I took a White Pawn with my remaining Black Rook which was clearly a blunder intended to open up the White King for attack. I had gotten one move ahead of myself. The Black Queen needed to be c2 in order to stop the White Pawn at b2 from taking it! Due to a very vigorous game preceding this blunder my crucial Black Rook was spared.

After very luckily not losing this Rook, probably due to surprise and assumption on my opponent's part, I got into even more deep trouble when White had positioned it's Queen between this remaining Rook and my King at move 36 (Qe5)!

At move 40, I was granted a second piece of luck. Following move 39, I had protected the Black Pawn by moving it up one file, then White chose not to press the assault on my embattled Black King...

You see, by moving to the White Queen to b6 at move 40, then into my Castle formation by moving to a5 - I would have been checkmated when the White Queen went to a8. Note that the Black King cannot move due to it's current crisis protecting the remaining Bishop from the White Rook at f8!

My only solution would have been a Queen trade (Black Queen to c5) that would have left me at an advantage with a Black Bishop. If this had occurred I would have ran out of time and lost.