From positional lead to tactical mayhem

I recently lost a blitz game to Chessmaster personality Christian, rated 1181. I thought to myself that I should easily be able to beat him in a slower game since I on this site have at least 1600. That wasn't the case. Even so the game turned out to be quite interesting and I really took the time to play the right moves all the way through. The time control was 40 moves in 2 hours and then 1 hour additional time for all moves after that, although I think the game didn't last more than 2 hours anyway. The reason for these time settings is because I need to get used to playing under such circumstances since those are the settings used for OTB rated games where I live. I recently lost my first OTB match to a 1412-player so I think I need practice in that area. Please help me improve :)

He he : this "Christian" is quite dangerous for a 1100 player - well it shows that computer ratings are quite different from human players - anyway, back to your game

I agree with you that 5.Bxf6 looks interesting : after 5...gxf6 6.cxd5 exd5, black's pawns are completely crippled. However, it has the bishop pair and the open g-file on your king-side, so maybe it won't be that easy.

I agree with your 8.bxc3 choice too. 

9.Nf3 may be okay, however I like 9.Bd3, maybe with Ne2 to follow - I think it offers better protection to your king. I understand you don't want to lose a tempo if white plays 9.Bd3 dxc4 10.Bxc4, but I don't see how black can really take advantage of it. As for 9.Bd3 Rg8 10.Ne2 looks okay, as after 10...Rxg2 11.Ng3 it seems the rook is trapped.

I don't agree with your reasoning for not playing 10.cxd5 : the position is getting open, and speed is essential here. I think 10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.Bd3 or 11.Rd1 are really worth a look.

Even if it looks dangerous, I would consider castling before starting active operations on the Q-side, so 12.0-0 - I can't see anything special for black here (ie. 12...Rg8 13.Qxh7 or 13.Nh4, 12...Qg4 13.cxd5)

I agree with you about 14.Ke2 : I think it was better leaving all your pieces free to come into play

after 16...Rac8, despite your extra pawn, I think black is much better, thanks to its attack on your king... 

I think 17.e4? is a fatal mistake - opening every line in front of your king. I would have tried something like 17.Rd1 or even 17.Ke2 to get those pieces playing.

You don't say anything about 18.exf5 - was it losing directly ? Admittedly, something like 18...Re8+ 19.Kd1 Rcd8 looks dangerous, but...

Your resignation looks normal : black took full advantage of your king's position : 19...Rxd5! is a great move.

Great comment from both of you!!

Great comments!

To be honest 18.exf5 I immediately dismissed as bad. I think I got a little shaken by all the 'surprises' I got at that stage of the game.

19...Rxd5! is indeed a great move(especially for a 1200). Maybe I should show it to the 1300 players at my local club to see if they have any improvements ;)

otherwise I dont think the comp played anything like 1200 once the tactics came flying.

how about 14 Qd2 encouraging 14. ....QXQ and u heading to a queenless endgame with superior position and material?

I think 14 Nd2 is the fatal mistake. 

What about 24. ... Re8+ 25. Kf1 Qc3 (covering c7) followed by Bc4+.

I don't think its resignable either though

A few remarks about the last few moves:

1) 17.e4 I'd mark as a "?" move.

Probably from a close to winning position, you allow black to reach a messy, unclear position. Black should have replied: 17...Bxe4, exploiting the fact thatr that the queen can never take the bishop (It would get pinned to the king...). But what else? 

18.Qd7+ Kg6 and now? the try 19. Qg4 Kf7 does not enable white to take the bishop, and if he tries to go for exchagnes instead: 20. 0-0 (Probably white's best) and now the seemingly attractive 20...Bxg2?! seems to be dangerous on account of 21.Qd7+, but 20...Bc6 instead....  black has a lot of play now. 

Instead of 17.e4, 17. Kd1 actually does threaten e4 already, unpins the knight, and allows white to easily coordinate his forces. Black won't be able to attack the white king with only the queen, does not have enough time to attack the kingside (Looks like 17...Rg8? 18.e4! to me). I like it for white. Still a lot of mayhem, but to exploit his advantage, white may have to play very accurately for a while. I see no way around it.

 2) 17...Rhd8?? - Black responds with a mistake of his own. Just take:

18. exf5 and whats black to do?

18...Re8+19.Kd1 Rcd8 20.Qxc7+ white can return to protect the d pawn, and is just a clear piece up. Looks easy to exchange rooks here for white too.

If black tries 18...Rxd4 then just 19.Qe6+ Kg7 20. 0-0  - good night black.

3) Black's Rxd5 is another move which may be a mistake. Just retreat the bishop, if the pawn advances and gives a discovered check, the bishop can return (white will NOT advance the pawn immediately, and black's position is very bad, but still, Rxd5 is helping white).

It would be interesting to analyze if Rxd5 is a mistake or not, see my post on the final position where you resigned. Judgement depends on whether or not black can hold the position there (I don't think he has any chance to win, despite your resignation). 

 Final comment is on the end of the game in a next post

Final comment about the end position: WHY resign???

As far as my current analysis goes, only white can hope to win this.

All the threats in the world will not help black if white can find a defense. and he is not lacking in resources. 

23. Qf4 defends d2 and black has nothing left to attack it with. Does black have enough compensation for a whole rook? that seems to require a lot of analysis. By resigning here you seem to claim you know white is lost.

IF black is not lost, the only move I can find for him is 23...Bb3+.

 It leads to mass complications after 24.Ke2 Qb5+(if white can go to f1 and g1, hide his king on h2 eventually, and get the h1 rook into the game, it's all over, so black prevents it). 25.Ke1 Re8+ 26. Ne4! (White can return a piece, if he can just coordinate his forces better or secure his king (he only needs a move or 2), he'll be doing great.    

Now what? 26...Qb4+ Rxe4 27.Qxc7+ Re7 for instance, white has 28. QxR+! followed by taking the b3 bishop... With two rooks vs. a queen, he's doing great (I'd say he may even be better. without those two queenside black pawns, I'd say it would be close to winning...).

There are many other possibilities, and I have no idea what happens there, but resiging just because mates are threatened is never a good idea. If there are defenses, the threats may not be real.

 Hmm... White is fishing for a draw I don't think is there, but could be. Still, I think the 24.Ke2 variation I gave gives black fewer options, and I just can't see how black can win there.

The position is definitely not resignable yet. 

24.Ke1 also fails to the more powerful (compared to my previous Rxd2) Qc3!.

I see no defense, wherever the rook moves, Re8+ is deadly, and I can't find non-rook moves that will help white. With that rook on d8, Qc7+ Ke8 never seems dangerous to black, no matter when white plays it.

Come to think about it, the entire black attack can be refuted outright a couple of moves ago:

 Qd3!? instead of Qg4. FORGET the g2 pawn, instead, gain tempo on the h7 pawn (Which would drop with check), in the meantime prevent black taking control of the a6-f1 diagonal which prevented white's king from escaping in the Ke2 line I've given. This defuses Re8+, because Kf1 and white escapes.

Bxg2 fails to more than one move... Still looking at the variations, but it looks as if black has no attack at all.

 For the sake of completenes (Rb1 is indeed the only slightly complicated rook move): 24.Ke1? Qc3 25.Rb1 Re8+ 26.Kf1 Qd3+ 27. Kg1 Qxb1+ 28.Nf1(forced) Bxa2.

Black should be easily winning here in my opinion. Of course all of that doesn't matter because of the 24.Ke2 variation. But, the best analysis I can come up with does not yield anything better than roughly even (perhaps a small advantage for white) positions or total tactical mayhem (or forced draws). 

 I am wondering, in the final position where white resigned unnecessarily: is his best option to go for these lines? I believe he may even have a forced win:

 23. Qh5+ Now black is in a dillema: where to place his king.

 a) He can't go to the e file and let the h1 rook enter the game with tempo.

 b) on 23...Kf8(keeping an eye on e8 so the rook can use that square)

24.Qh6+ Kg8 25.Qe3 White gains control of e8 anyway and Qa4+ Kc1 gains nothing for black.

c) After 23... Kg7 (or Kg8) 24.Ke1, black's best appears to be Qxd2+ following by regaining the queen with a discovery, entering into an exchange down vs. a pawn endgame. Very technical and in white's favour. Above my level to judge if it's won  for white or how easy/difficult it is to defend for black.

 But I have found no better moves for black. Interestingly enough, the whole attack is stopped in its tracks once the black rooks is denied the e8 square.