Mike Splane (2257) – Wolfgang Pieb (1707) 

Kolty Chess Club       May 17, 2007

 

1. e4 c5     2. c3 d5     3. ed Qd5     4. d4 e6       5. Nf3 Nf6      6. Bd3 Nc6      7. 0-0 Be7      8. Be3

 

I prefer to play the bishop to g5, but I want to force 8. …cd so I can develop my knight to c3 with tempo. Usually my opponents are more helpful and voluntarily play the pawn capture. 

 

8. …  cd       9. cd 0-0       10. Nc3 Qa5

 

The queen belongs on d6.

 

11. a3 a6       12. b4 Qc7       13. Rc1 b5

 

I couldn’t believe he could get away with this weakening move. Instead of sitting on my hands and figuring out exactly how to take advantage of this move, I made a couple of automatic developing moves, putting my knights in the center. Unfortunately, the knight on e4 is misplaced, blocking the b1-h7 diagonal.

 

14. Ne4  Bb7       15. Ne5?

 

Switching plans. I intended Nc5, when I win the bishop pair, but I was playing too fast without analyzing concrete variations. I was dreaming of a kingside attack. This is a consistent problem that I’ve only recently come to acknowledge; I don’t analyze properly and I frequently miss candidate moves.   The right move here was probably 15. Neg5, pinning the knight to the f6 square, and trying to induce pawn weaknesses (…h6 or …g6)  After that Ne5, Bb1 and Qc2 can be played.  Black is completely tied up.

 

15. … Nd5

 

Of course. Now he is threatening … f5 taking over key center squares.

 

 I briefly looked at 16. Qh5, the right move, but didn’t analyze deeply enough. In fact I missed several key ideas. The main point is White is threatening to win two pieces for a rook, an idea I didn’t see over the board, with 17. Rc6 Bc6  18. Rc1.  If he plays  16. … Rc8 to take the sting out of the exchange sacrifice on c6, then 17. Ng5 wins.

 

Another key point is he can’t move the knight on d5, 17. Nf6+ will mate.

 

16. … h6   and 16. … g6 just weaken his kingside.  His only defense is 16. … f5.  I saw this during the game, and thought I would have to retreat the knight, but the exchange sacrifice is still powerful. After 17. Rc6 Bc6   18. Rc1 fe    19. Be4 g6 20. Qh3 White has a strong attack. Of course I didn’t see any of this over the board, because I simply didn’t spend enough time.

 

16. Ng5

 

This move prevents f5 opens the b1-h7 diagonal, and wins the bishop pair,  but it allows dangerous counter-play after 16. … Bg5  17. Bg5 f6. I mis-analyzed again and made a terrible blunder.

 

16. … Bg5       17. Qh5+

 

As soon as I took my hand off the piece I realized I had blundered.

 

17. …. g6      

 

I thought I could play 19. Ng6  fg  20. Qg6+ when I played my 17th move.  My next eight moves are forced.

 

18.  Qg5 f6         19. Qg4  fe        20. Qe6+ Qf7         21. Rc6 Bc6        22. Qc6 Ne3       23.  fe Qb3        24. Qe4 Rf1       25. Bf1  Rf8

 

I thought for a long time here. I’m dead lost. If my pawn was on h3 instead of h2, I could play 26. Be2, but that loses to 26. … Qc3 threatening checks on e1 and c1. . If I make a hole for my king, by pushing either the h or g pawns then he plays Qd1.  I have no perpetual check: his rook goes to f7 and then when I check on dark squares his king escapes to h6, so I would have to play Qd3. Then he trades queens and easily wins the ending.

 

Rather than resign, I made a threatening looking move, just in case he doesn’t play Qd1.

 

26. h4  Qa2?

 

Whew! I may be ok now. After the game he said that he thought I had a perpetual check if he left the a2 f8 diagonal.

 

27. Bd3 ed        28 Qd4

 

Not 28. ed? Qf2+ 29. Kh2 Qf4+

 

28. … Qf2+        29. Kh2 Qf6     30. Qe4 Rd8     31. Bc2  Qd6+      32. Kg1 Kg7

 

I had been feeling ok, until I saw that move. I was hoping to get my h pawn down to h6 when the mating threats to his king would tie him down enough to hold the game.  I continued with that flawed plan, hoping to catch him in a trap. Unfortunately, pushing the h pawn opens the h file for his rook, and my king is too exposed.

 

33. h5? Qf6        34. Qb7+ Kh6

 

I was hoping for 34. … Qf7   35. h6+ Kg8   36. Bb3

 

35. hg hg       36. Qd4

 

I offered a draw here, not realizing that I was busted. To his credit, Wolfgang spotted the winning idea.

 

36. …. Rf8  37. Bd3  Qf2+

 

Now I saw the idea. Rf8-f5-h5

 

38.  Kh1 Rf5     39. g4 Qe1+

 

He’s on the wrong track. Qh4+, Qg3+, Qf3+ forces a winning queen trade.

 

40. Kh2 Rf2+ ??

 

I breathed a sigh of relief. After this move he miraculously has no more checks! And I’m threatening mate in one.

 

41. Kh3  Rf6       42.  g5+  Kg5       43. Qe5+ Rf5

 

If 43. … Kh6   44. Qf6  Qe3+ 45.  Kg4  Qd3  46. Qh8#

 

44. Bf5 Qf1+     45. Kg3 Qf5     46. Qd4 Qf1

 

There were a lot of ways for him to go wrong, but after this move the position is a clear draw. I play on for a few moves to see if he will help me out with a blunder.

 

47. Qe5+ Qf5      48. Qd4 Qf1     

 

His outside passed pawn is decisive in any king and pawn ending, so I engineer a trade where my e-pawn changes files. It would be simplest to just repeat moves, but I’m being stubborn.

 

49. Qf4+ Qf4+       50.  ef+ Kf5       51. Kf3 Ke6     

 

There goes my last hope. After 51. … g5 52. fg Kg5 53. Ke4 I’m winning.

 

52. Kg4 Kf6       53. Kg3 Kf5       54. Kf3 Ke6      55. Kg4 Kf6 

 

Draw