Chess960 SP207

I think the time has come to do some serious maintenance to the blog again. This time, however, I can't say for certain when it will be done. I will go through all my old posts where I have used Chessbase 12 to publish my chess games and republish those games using the Chess.com game viewer. This is necessary because the old posts will not work properly in HTTPS otherwise. I previously thought that I would have enough time to do the maintenance in addition with the normal posts, but in practice I have not really been using that time for maintenance, but for other things. Therefore I need to take the time to finish what I have started in this way. When it is finished, I can publish all the games that I have missed in chronological order because they have been from a previously published opening variations. Those skipped games have been bothering me for some time now and now there are so many of them that I feel its something that is long overdue. While I can't say for certain how long it will take me to do all the updates I want to do, it is unlikely that I would be able to get back to regular posting schedule next week. As soon as I have done all the updates, I will start doing these blog posts again.

Now for this short game you can view below. I did not think during the game that 2.c3 is a good move, but it still was a playable move. I dislike the move 2.c3 because the pawn just gets in the way of White's other pieces. It takes a good developing square away from the b-knight and it blocks the long diagonal and therefore may be in the way of the queen that resides on a1. The first time my opponent really went wrong was after 3...d6. In the position below, my opponent, GStratZ played 4.Bd4. It was an interesting idea in my opinion. I thought about taking the bishop for some time, but then realised that it probably was not a good idea because it would open up the c-file for the rook and allow my opponent to develop a knight to c3. Therefore I did not take on d4 as it would only help GStratZ. The move I played in reply, 4...e5, seems to be the best alternative according to Stockfish 7 64 POPCNT.

The position should only slightly favor me, so draw would be still the result with accurate play. The position below is taken after 5...Nd7. GStratZ played 6.b4, a move that continued the positional downhill that my opponent was on. I could not properly understand the reason behind this move when I saw it played during the game, but the idea behind it may be to prevent Nc5 and get some room for the queen to activate itself.

The game probably was not completely over after 6.b4, but the situation for my opponent became quite dire. With the next two moves by GStratZ, 7.h3 and 8.c4, the game went to become really hopeless for my opponent and the game quickly ended after that. I have added a mate in one puzzle 529, a mate in two puzzle 757, a mate in three puzzle 676 and mate in four puzzles 539 &540 today.

Chess960 SP652

When I play Chess960 at lichess.org, everything just seems to go my way. I play there weekly some rapid games of the variant and so far my winning percentage is 72, the average rating of my opponents being 1680.13. When I play correspondence Chess960 games at Chess.com, my interest to the games is rather low at the moment and it does show in my rating, which is only 1677. However, my Live 960 rating is 1893, so when I play the games at one sitting, I am these days better concentrated and interested about the games than when I play my correspondence games. I have tried my best to completely get rid of my correspondence games, but I still have 32 of them in progress. Maybe some day I will finally end all of those games, I will not lose any game on purpose, but I may not give my best effort to fight for the win either. There is no reference game in the notation because no engine had played the horrible move 1.c4 in my Chess960 reference database.

This game started with my inaccurate first move 1.c4. While the intention behind the move was good, to open the b1-h7 diagonal for the light-squared bishop, it was a bit hasty and bad move. It is not bad enough to give me any serious trouble, but there are certainly better alternatives like 1.f4. The first real mistake was played my opponent on move 3 in the position below. Stirlits played 3...Ng6, ignoring my threat to the c-pawn. Maybe the idea was that when I take the pawn, the move Be5 would be possible, getting the rook from the corner.

For a brief moment I thought that I was lost after 4...Be5, but then I realised that I can take on g6 with my bishop, threatening the rook on e8, which saved me and showed that my opponent's plan was flawed. It was all downhill for stirlits after that. I was able to checkmate my opponent on move 34. I have added mate in two puzzles 754 - 756 and mate in three puzzles 674 & 675 today.

This game can also be viewed in the video below.

D03 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5, including Torre Attack with early ...d5 (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bg5 Ne4 4.Bh4 c5 5.e3 Qb6 6.Qc1 Nc6 7.c3 Bf5)

This game was played in a club tournament in 2011. Both players did some small mistakes during the first 23 moves, but when we reached the position below we started to make bigger mistakes. The move my opponent made in this position was 24.Qc5, which was a horrible decision, but because I played 24...Qe5 in response, the tables turned clearly in favor of my opponent.

That did not last for very long though. Already after 25...fxe5 my opponent took a wrong path and played 26.f4, allowing me to get back in to the game. The game was then played rather evenly until we came to the next position you can see below. It is taken after my opponent played 32.gxf4.

I played 32...Ne5+, which became the losing move of the game. I only managed to make things worse for me later on, for example with the move 34...Ra8, which was too passive defense and doomed to fail.

[Event "Kerhopeli"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.03.30"] [Round "5"] [White "Tocklin, Tomi"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D03"] [WhiteElo "1926"] [BlackElo "1865"] [Annotator "Stockfish 8 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2011.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bg5 Ne4 {Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack, Gossip Variation} (3... e6 4. e3 c5 5. c3 Qb6 {Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack, Breyer Variation}) (3... g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nbd2 O-O {Queen's Pawn Game: Torre Attack, Gruenfeld Variation, Main Line}) 4. Bh4 c5 5. e3 Qb6 6. Qc1 Nc6 7. c3 Bf5 {D03 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bg5, including Torre Attack with early ...d5} 8. Nbd2 e6 9. Nxe4 (9. Be2 Rc8 10. O-O h6 11. Nxe4 Bxe4 12. Nd2 Bg6 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. b4 Bd6 15. Qb2 O-O 16. a3 Ne5 17. Bg3 Nd3 18. Bxd3 Bxd3 19. Rfd1 Bxg3 20. hxg3 Rc7 21. Nb3 Bg6 22. Rac1 Rfc8 23. Qd2 Qd6 {Sjugirov,S (2665)-Ehlvest,J (2524) Almaty 2016 1/2-1/2 (66)}) 9... Bxe4 10. Be2 Bd6 11. Bg3 (11. O-O O-O 12. Qd2 c4 13. Ng5 Bg6 14. f4 Qc7 15. Bg3 b5 16. Nf3 b4 17. cxb4 Bxb4 18. Qc1 Qb6 19. b3 cxb3 20. axb3 Rfc8 21. Qb2 Na5 22. Rfc1 Qb7 23. Ne5 Be4 24. Nd3 Rxc1+ 25. Rxc1 Bd6 {Mwango,L (1935)-Richards,D (2023) Baku 2016 0-1 (46)}) 11... Bxg3 $146 (11... Be7 12. O-O Rc8 13. Qd2 O-O 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 cxd4 19. Qxd4 Qa6 20. a3 Rc4 21. Qd2 Qc6 22. Qe2 g6 23. Rfd1 b5 24. Rd4 Rxd4 25. exd4 a5 26. g3 {Banchev,B (2240)-Kiss, P (2300) Cannes 1990 1-0 (38)}) 12. hxg3 O-O 13. Qd2 f6 {Prevents intrusion on e5+g5} 14. dxc5 Qxc5 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 g6 17. Ke2 {White loses the right to castle} (17. O-O-O Rad8 $11) 17... Rf7 18. Nd4 {White threatens to win material: Nd4xe6} e5 {Black threatens to win material: e5xd4} (18... Qb6 19. Rhb1 $15 (19. Nxe6 $4 {that pawn is deadly bait and will cause White grave problems} Ne5 20. Qd4 Qxe6 $19)) 19. Nb3 $11 Qd6 20. Rad1 Rd7 (20... Rd8 21. Kf1 $15) 21. e4 $11 d4 22. cxd4 exd4 23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. Qc5 (24. f4 $142 $11) 24... Qe5 $4 {a transit from better to worse} (24... Qe6 $142 25. f3 Rad8 $17) 25. Qxe5 $16 fxe5 26. f4 (26. Nc5 $142 $5 Re7 27. Rc1 $16) 26... Re8 $11 27. Kf3 Kg7 28. a3 {Consolidates b4} b6 {Secures a5+c5} 29. Rc1 {White threatens to win material: Rc1xc6} Rd6 30. Nd2 Rf6 31. b4 exf4 32. gxf4 {White has a new passed pawn: e4} Ne5+ $2 (32... g5 $142 {is the best option Black has} 33. f5 h6 $11) 33. Kg3 $18 Nf7 34. Rc7 Ra8 $4 {Black crumbles in face of a dire situation} (34... g5 $142 35. fxg5 Rfe6 36. Rxa7 Kg6 $18) 35. e5 $18 Re6 (35... Rf5 {is no salvation} 36. Nf3 Kg8 37. Nxd4 $18) 36. Ne4 (36. Nf3 $142 {secures the win} h6 37. Nxd4 $18) 36... Kg8 (36... h6 {hoping against hope} 37. Nd6 Rf8 38. Rxa7 Kg8 39. Nxf7 Rxf7 40. Rxf7 Kxf7 41. Rxh6 Kg7 $18) 37. Rxf7 $1 { Deflection: e6} (37. Rxf7 Kxf7 38. Ng5+ Kg8 39. Nxe6 $18) 1-0

C33 King's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nc3 and 3.Bc4 (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 d6 4.d4)

It is time to take a look at another variation of the King's Gambit. This is one of the variations that should be losing for White with best play according to the extensive research done on the subject about a year later after this game was played. This game was played between two human players, so the moves were far from perfect. Then again I do realise that even between two stong engines the moves are not perfect either. The game below was played in a weekend tournament that was held at Tampere over five years ago. This is taken from round 5, which was the last round of the tournament. Before this game my opponent had lost the round one game, but then he had won all other games. I had won all my four previous games, so this could have been the tournament where I finally won with a perfect score 5 out of 5. However, the opening my opponent chose was something that I have really struggled with. In the future I will most likely play 3...Nf6 instead of the move 3...d6 that I played in this game. Because I lost this game I was on second place in the final standings of group B and the opponent I faced in the game below was on first place.

My third move is actually an okay move, the position should be roughly even after that. The position below is taken after 5.h4. I played 5...Bh6 in reply, which was the starting point for the disaster of a game that this was for me. While my opponent did some inaccurate moves, he never let me back in to the game.

I have never been able to win all five games in a weekend tournament like this, I think the closest I have been is half a point away from the perfect score. That I have been able to do a couple of times. I have been able to get 5 out of 5 in an online tournament though, most memorable one is the one World Open Rapid tournament I played at the FIDE Online Arena. My performance rating was 2413! The highest performance rating I have ever been able to get.

[Event "Tammer-Shakin XV"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.03.20"] [Round "5"] [White "Takku, Teppo"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C33"] [WhiteElo "1735"] [BlackElo "1830"] [Annotator "Stockfish 8 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2011.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Bc4 {King's Gambit Accepted, Bishop's Gambit} d6 (3... b5 {King's Gambit Accepted, Bishop's Gambit, Kieseritzky Gambit}) (3... c6 { King's Gambit Accepted, Bishop's Gambit, Lopez Defense}) (3... Nf6 $1 {The best reply. According to extensive research White should be lost with best play. King's Gambit Accepted, Bishop's Gambit, Cozio Defense}) 4. d4 {C33 King's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nc3 and 3.Bc4} g5 5. h4 Bh6 (5... d5 6. Bxd5 Nf6 7. hxg5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Qxd5 9. Bxf4 Be6 10. Be5 Rg8 11. Nc3 Qxg2 12. Qf3 Rxg5 13. O-O-O Nc6 14. Bxc7 Rc8 15. d5 Rxc7 16. dxe6 fxe6 17. Qd3 Qxh1 18. Nf3 Qh6 19. Kb1 Rf5 20. Nb5 {Taylor,T (2290)-Aaberg, A (2208) Monterey Park 2012 0-1 (37)}) 6. Qh5 $146 (6. hxg5 Bxg5 7. Qh5 Qe7 8. Nf3 Qxe4+ 9. Kd1 Be7 10. Bxf7+ Kd8 11. Bg6 Qe6 12. Bxf4 Nf6 13. Ng5 Nxh5 14. Nxe6+ Bxe6 15. Bxh5 Bf6 16. c3 Bd5 17. Bf3 Bxf3+ 18. gxf3 h5 19. Nd2 d5 20. Be5 Nd7 {Dyer,A (1625)-Pedersen Lee,L (1258) Canberra 2007 1-0 (41)}) 6... Qf6 (6... Qe7 7. hxg5 Bg7 8. Ne2 $16 (8. Bxf4 $6 Bxd4 9. Nd2 Nc6 $14)) 7. Nf3 (7. hxg5 {keeps an even firmer grip} Bxg5 8. Nc3 Qg7 $18) 7... g4 (7... gxh4 8. Nc3 Qg6 9. Qxh4 Be6 $18) 8. Ng5 Bxg5 9. hxg5 (9. Qxg5 $6 Qxd4 10. Nc3 Nc6 $11 (10... Qxc4 $2 {is seductive, but} 11. Qg7 $16)) 9... Qg6 10. Qxg6 fxg6 (10... hxg6 $4 11. Rxh8 Kf8 12. Rh7 $18) 11. Bxg8 (11. Bxf4 $142 {would have given White a clear advantage} Ne7 12. Nc3 $18) 11... Rxg8 $16 12. Rxh7 Bd7 $2 (12... Nc6 $142 $5 13. Bxf4 Nxd4 $16) 13. Bxf4 $18 Nc6 14. c3 (14. d5 $5 Nd8 $18) 14... O-O-O $16 15. Nd2 Rde8 (15... Rdf8 16. Be3 $16) 16. O-O-O (16. Kf2 Rgf8 17. Kg3 d5 18. exd5 Ne7 $18) 16... Kd8 17. Rdh1 Ref8 18. g3 Be8 $4 {but even a better move would not have saved the game} (18... Re8 $142 $18) 19. Nf1 (19. e5 $5 {seems even better} dxe5 20. dxe5 Rf7 $18) 19... Bd7 (19... Nb8 20. Ne3 Bc6 21. Nxg4 Bxe4 22. R1h2 $18) 20. Ne3 Ne7 21. Kd2 Be6 (21... Re8 22. R1h4 $18) 22. a3 (22. d5 $142 {and White can already relax} Bc8 23. e5 dxe5 24. Bxe5 Rf2+ 25. Kd3 Bf5+ 26. Nxf5 Rxf5 $18) 22... Bd7 23. c4 {White plans d5} Be6 (23... Re8 $18 {desperation}) 24. d5 Bd7 25. c5 $1 {a convincing end} dxc5 26. Bxc7+ $1 {Deflection: e7} Kxc7 27. Rxe7 Rf2+ (27... Re8 {doesn't change the outcome of the game} 28. Rhh7 Rxe7 29. Rxe7 $18) 28. Kc1 (28. Ke1 $142 {makes it even easier for White} Rxb2 29. Rhh7 $18) 28... Kd8 (28... Re8 {no good, but what else?} 29. Rxe8 Bxe8 30. Rh7+ Rf7 31. Rxf7+ Bxf7 $18) 29. Rhh7 Bc8 30. d6 Re8 31. Nd5 Rf1+ 32. Kd2 Rf2+ 33. Ke1 Ref8 34. Nf6 Rxb2 (34... Rf3 {does not help much} 35. d7 Bxd7 36. Rxd7+ Kc8 37. Rc7+ Kb8 38. Rxb7+ Kc8 39. Nd5 Rf1+ 40. Kd2 R8f2+ 41. Kc3 Rf3+ 42. Kc4 Rf7 43. Rhxf7 Rxf7 44. Rxf7 a6 45. Kxc5 Kd8 46. Nf6 a5 47. Kc6 a4 48. e5 Kc8 49. Rf8#) 35. d7 (35. Ref7 Rb1+ 36. Kd2 Re8 37. Nxe8 Rb2+ 38. Kc1 Rg2 39. Nf6 Rg1+ 40. Kd2 Rg2+ 41. Ke1 Rg1+ 42. Kf2 Rg2+ 43. Kxg2 Bd7 44. Rxd7+ Kc8 45. Rh8#) 35... b6 36. Re8+ (36. Re8+ Kc7 37. dxc8=Q+ Kd6 38. e5#) 1-0

C89 Closed Spanish Game: Marshall Attack (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.Re1 O-O 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.d4 Bd6)

This game was played at lichess.org on August 28th, 2016. This game has appeared also on my Youtube channel. There I posted the game on August 29th. In this post I offer a deeper look at the game that I could offer in the video. This was my first chess game that I played at lichess and this turned out to be a really promising start. We followed a theoretical path up to the move 13.Re1, but then my opponent played a move I had not seen played before in that position. While 13...Qf6 is not really a bad move, 13...Qh4 is a better option. I played 14.Be3 in order to get the bishop out of the way, so I could develop my knight to d2. The position below is taken after I played my 14th move.

My 14th move is not actually the best move and the position became roughly even with that move. I like to develope my pieces as soon as possible, so Be3 seemed like the way to go, even though it can give up the bishop pair. Actually my opponent did not take the bishop, but instead played 14...Bf4, a move that started the downfall for joachimmueller. I did not really understand that move during the game and it is hard for me to see the idea behind it. I guess taking on e3 and pressuring the e-pawn was the idea, but it can't be accomplished so easily. I played 15.Nd2 in response and while it may not be the most accurate move, it was good enough to secure a clear advantage for me. My opponent's next move was the final nail in the coffin. 15...Qg6 is horrible because I end up at least two pawns up and after that I am clearly in a winning position. In the game my opponent sacrificed a whole piece in desperation, but did not get any counterplay because of it, so the game was basically over after that. I have added mate in one puzzles 526 & 527 and mate in two puzzles 747 - 749 today.

[Event "Rated game"] [Site "https://lichess.org/b13QB4wq"] [Date "2016.08.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Black "joachimmueller"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C89"] [WhiteElo "1500"] [BlackElo "1878"] [Annotator "Stockfish 7 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "70"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. Re1 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 {Spanish Game: Marshall Attack, Main Line} Bd6 {C89 Closed Spanish Game: Marshall Attack} 13. Re1 Qf6 { N} (13... Qh4 14. h3 Bxh3 15. Qf3 (15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. gxh3 Qxh3 17. Re3 Bh2+ 18. Kh1 Bg3+ 19. Kg1 Qh2+ 20. Kf1 Qxf2# {0-1 (20) Prozorov,P-Guliev,G (2053) St Petersburg 2015}) 15... Bg4 16. g3 Bxf3 17. gxh4 Rae8 18. Be3 Re4 19. Nd2 Rg4+ 20. Kf1 Bg2+ 21. Ke2 Re8 22. Kd3 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Rxh4 24. a4 Rh3 25. axb5 axb5 26. Ra7 Be7 27. Re2 Bd5 28. c4 {Carter, G-Gee,J Sacramento 1944 0-1 (37)}) ( 13... Qc7 14. h3 Bf5 15. Nd2 Rae8 16. Rxe8 Rxe8 17. Nf1 Qd7 18. Bc2 Bxc2 19. Qxc2 Re6 20. Bd2 Rg6 21. Re1 f5 22. Nh2 Nf6 23. Nf3 Ne4 24. c4 Bc7 25. cxb5 axb5 26. Bb4 Qd5 27. Re3 Bf4 28. Ra3 {Ader Hausman,W-Stekel Grunberg,M Santiago de Chile 1959 1/2-1/2 (73)}) (13... Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Be3 Bg4 16. Qd3 Rae8 17. Nd2 Re6 18. a4 Qh5 {Spanish Game: Marshall, Main Line, Spassky Variation}) 14. Be3 (14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Nf3 {+/=}) 14... Bf4 {?} (14... Nxe3 { !? is an interesting alternative} 15. Rxe3 c5 {=}) 15. Nd2 (15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. Bxf4 Qxf4 17. a3 {+/-}) 15... Qg6 {?} (15... Bc7 {+/-}) 16. Bxd5 {+-} Bxe3 17. Be4 (17. fxe3 {?!} cxd5 18. Nb3 Bg4 {+/-}) 17... Bxf2+ {?? Black falls apart} ( 17... f5 18. Rxe3 fxe4 19. Nxe4 Be6 {+-}) 18. Kxf2 f5 (18... Bf5 {doesn't change the outcome of the game} 19. Qb1 Bxe4 20. Qxe4 (20. Rxe4 c5 {+-}) 20... Qf6+ 21. Nf3 {+-}) 19. Bc2 Qh6 (19... a5 {doesn't change anything anymore} 20. Re7 {+-}) 20. Nf3 f4 21. Re5 Bg4 22. h3 Bxf3 (22... Bh5 {does not win a prize} 23. Kg1 {+-}) 23. Qxf3 Qh4+ 24. Kg1 Rf6 (24... g6 {is not much help} 25. Bb3+ Kg7 26. Rf1 {+-}) 25. Rae1 Raf8 (25... Rc8 {is one last hope} 26. Re8+ Rf8 27. Bb3+ Kh8 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 {+-}) 26. Re8 Qg3 27. Rxf8+ (27. Qe4 Qg6 28. Bb3+ Kh8 29. Qe7 Qxe8 30. Qxe8 f3 31. Re7 h6 32. Qd7 fxg2 33. Rxg7 Rf1+ 34. Kxg2 R1f2+ 35. Kg3 R2f3+ 36. Kh4 R3f4+ 37. Kh5 R4f5+ 38. Kxh6 R8f6+ 39. Rg6 Rxg6+ 40. Kxg6 Rg5+ 41. Kxg5 b4 42. Qe8+ Kg7 43. Qg8#) 27... Rxf8 28. Qxg3 (28. Qe4 {and White wins} Qh4 29. Qe6+ Kh8 {+-}) 28... fxg3 29. Re2 (29. Re3 {+- might be the shorter path}) 29... h5 (29... g6 {doesn't do any good} 30. b4 {+-}) 30. Be4 (30. Bg6 Rc8 31. Re8+ Rxe8 32. Bxe8 {+-}) 30... Rf6 31. Bf3 h4 (31... g6 { does not improve anything} 32. Re8+ Kf7 33. Ra8 {+-}) 32. Re4 (32. Re8+ { seems even better} Kf7 33. Ra8 a5 34. Rxa5 b4 {+-}) 32... g5 (32... Rf5 { cannot undo what has already been done} 33. Rxh4 c5 34. dxc5 Rxc5 35. Rg4 {+-}) 33. Re5 Rg6 (33... g4 {doesn't get the bull off the ice} 34. Bxg4 Rf2 35. Re2 { +-}) 34. Rc5 g4 (34... Rg7 {doesn't get the cat off the tree} 35. Rxc6 Re7 36. Kf1 {+-}) 35. Bxg4 Re6 1-0

E01 Catalan: Early deviations (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 c6 5.Qc2 Nbd7 6.Bg2 Bb4+ 7.Bd2)

This game was played on the third round of a weekend tournament that was held at Loimaa in February, 2011. On the previous two rounds I had lost to a player who was rated 1965 and drew against a player who was rated 1891 at the time. On the fourth round I received my only win in the tournament against a player who was rated 1848. On the last round I lost again, so I managed to gather only 1.5 points against higher rated opponents, on the last round I faced an opponent who was rated 1884. Because I can't seem to find the results of this tournament anywhere anymore, I have no idea what my final standing was.

The game below was a rather straightforward one, my opponent never gave me a fighting chance. Well, the only exception might have been the position after 10.Nc3. Had I replied with 10...Bxf4, I might have been ever so slightly better. I played 10...e5, which leads to a slightly favorable position for my opponent.

After I handed over the advantage on move 10, my opponent never let it go. I was able to maintain a decent position until I made things worse for me and played 19...Rd8. The position below this paragraph is the position where I played my 19th move and started my final descent into the loss.

My last move of the game 31...Re8 was also the worst move of the game and of course my opponent took full advantage of my mistake and played 32.Rxe6! After that there was no point of me continuing the game, so I resigned. I have added a mate in two puzzle 746, a mate in three puzzle 671 and mate in four puzzles 534 & 535 today.

[Event "LoimSK"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.02.05"] [Round "3"] [White "Torkkola, Henri"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2000"] [BlackElo "1845"] [Annotator "Stockfish 7 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "2011.??.??"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 {Catalan Opening} 4. Nf3 (4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 (7. Qc2 c6 8. Nbd2 b5 {Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Rabinovich Variation} (8... b6 {Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Traditional Variation})) 7... c6 8. Qd3 {Catalan Opening: Closed Variation, Botvinnik Variation}) 4... c6 5. Qc2 Nbd7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 {E01 Catalan: Early deviations} Qe7 8. O-O O-O 9. Bf4 (9. Bxb4 Qxb4 10. Nbd2 c5 11. a3 Qb6 12. cxd5 exd5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Rac1 Ne6 15. Qb3 Qa6 16. e3 Bd7 17. Qb4 Bb5 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Nd4 Nxd4 20. Qxd4 Be2 21. Re1 Qd3 22. Qxd3 Bxd3 23. Bh3 Rc2 {Loehr,M (2210)-Trescher,M (2260) Germany 2001 1/2-1/2 (66)}) (9. a3 Bxd2 10. Nbxd2 Re8 11. Rfe1 Qd6 12. e4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qe3 Bd7 16. Ne5 Rec8 17. b4 Be8 18. Rab1 Rc7 19. a4 Rd8 20. Red1 a6 21. c5 Qe7 22. Nc4 g6 23. Nd6 Nh5 {Cusnariov,N (2131)-Bachran,B (1975) Berlin 2015 0-1 (71)}) 9... Bd6 {N} ( 9... dxc4 10. Qxc4 Bd6 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Nc3 e5 13. Rad1 exd4 14. Nxd4 Nb6 15. Qb3 Qe7 16. Qc2 Be6 17. e4 Rfd8 18. e5 Nfd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. a3 Bg4 21. Bf3 Bxf3 22. Nxf3 Nb6 23. h4 h6 24. Qb3 {Ritter,U (2000)-Erkelenz,R (1946) Dortmund 2002 1/2-1/2 (65)}) 10. Nc3 (10. Bxd6 Qxd6 11. Nbd2 b6 {=}) 10... e5 ( 10... Bxf4 {!? and Black can hope to live} 11. gxf4 dxc4 {=}) 11. dxe5 {+/=} Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bxe5 Qxe5 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Rfd1 Be6 16. e3 Rac8 17. Qa4 a6 {Controls b5} 18. Rd4 Rc7 19. Rad1 Rd8 (19... Rd7 20. Qb3 {+/=}) 20. e4 {+/- } Bd7 (20... Qd6 21. Qc2 {+/-}) 21. Qa5 Rdc8 22. Nxd5 (22. f4 Qh5 23. e5 Ng4 { +/-}) 22... Nxd5 23. Qxd5 (23. exd5 {??} Qxd4 {Deflection: c1} 24. Bf3 Qxb2 {-+ }) 23... Qe8 24. Qg5 (24. e5 Bc6 25. Qd6 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 g6 {+/-}) 24... f6 ( 24... h6 25. Qf4 {+/-}) 25. Qe3 Be6 26. b3 Bg4 27. Bf3 Be6 (27... Bh3 28. Qf4 { +/-}) 28. Kg2 (28. e5 fxe5 29. Qxe5 Bf7 {+-}) 28... Qe7 29. R4d2 Rc3 30. Qb6 R3c7 31. Rd6 Re8 {?? another step towards the grave} (31... Bd7 {+/-}) 32. Rxe6 {! +- Deflection: c7} (32. Rxe6 Qxe6 33. Qxc7 {+-}) 1-0

C34 King's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nf3: 3...Nf6 and 3...d6 (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 d6)

The theoretical move order for this variation is 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nc6. If we would have followed the theoretical move order, I think I would not have played 3...Nc6. I definetely would not play that after the old post I came across yesterday. The post I am referring to was published April 2nd, 2012 titled "Rajlich: Busting the King's Gambit, this time for sure". It can be found at the Chessbase website. In that post Vasik Rajlich claimed that the King's Gambit had been solved. According to that extensive project he did, the best move against 3.Bc4 is 3...Nf6 and White should lose with best play. The project was inspired by Bobby Fischer's claims that he had refuted the King's Gambit. Interestingly enough it seems that Fischer was right about 3...d6 being the best answer to 3.Nf3. What is also interesting about this project is that the only move after 2...exf4 that keeps White in the game is 3.Be2 and with best play it is a draw. In practical play human players can still make bad moves, so it is not like you could get a guaranteed win in the lines that should be winning from this early on.

The game below was played in a second division, group 4 match between AS and SalSK 2 in 2010. I played on board 4 for SalSK 2 in this match. I was not unfortunately the only one who lost on our team, we also lost on boards 1 and 3. On board 2 we drew and the only win we got from our board 5 player. This meant that the final score was 3 - 1 in favor of AS. While this game started in a promising way for me, the longer the game went, the more the game started to gravitate in favor of my opponent. The position below is taken after my 7th move g5. My opponent played 8.Nc3, after which I should be clearly better. The best option for White to stay in the game is to play 8.d5 here.

I remained only clearly better until in the position below my opponent blundered and played 12.Bd3. Had I played 12...Nxd5, I might have been in a position that is close to winning, but alas I played 12...Re8 and I remained only clearly better.

The game went on being either clearly favorable or winning at times for me, up to the move 35.Kh2, but then the game started to slowly become favorable for my opponent. In the position below I played 35...Rf1, which gave my opponent a golden opportunity to punish me from my mistake and play 36.Bg4+. It would have resulted in a position where I need to sacrifice my bishop and even though I would only have a pawn for the bishop, I should have enough counterplay to compensate for the material. Especially since I would be likely to get a second pawn for the bishop from a2.

My opponent did not go for that plan and the position remained roughly even, with both players making some inaccuarete moves until we reached the position below. On move 40 my opponent moved his rook from e2 to d2. This was one of the turning points of the game. I played 40...Rc1, which at long last gave my opponent the advantage. I should have played 40...h5 in order to maintain equality of the position. Maybe also 40...b5 was a move to consider instead of the move played in the game.

Blunders did not end there of course. I was still hanging on in the game in the position below, I was only slightly worse at the time. With the move 44...Rb1 my position went down the drain, now it was my opponent who had the winning position. The correct move for me was 44...fxg2. While the move that my opponent chose was not the most accurate, he should still be winning after 45.Bd7+.

Even though I drifted into a position that seemed completely lost, for some reason I continued the struggle. Perhaps because this was a team match, I continued the game longer than I normally would. The fact that I did not give up, might have frustrated my opponent enough so that he made a mistake that allowed me to get into a position that was drawish. I should be completely lost in the position below, but one blunder can change that. My adversary played 61.Ke6, which with correct play is only good enough for a draw. 61.h4 was the best move for White. Stockfish thinks that White should be up by 24+ pawns after 61.h4. An advantage that should be enough for everyone to convert into a win.

The final mistake of the game came in the position below after my opponent had played 71.h6. The only move that could have drawn the game for me was 71...a2. For some reason I thought that move order is not important in this position and I played the horrible blunder 71...c4 before playing a2, but that was a judgement error that cost me the game.

71...a2 was much better because it forces 72.Bf6 and then I could have played 72...c4. I was so close to a draw, but still so far away. I did offer my best resistance in the game continuation, but it was in the end futile and I needed to resign after 81.Bxc3 as my pawns were forcefully removed from the board. I have added mate in one puzzles 524 & 525, a mate in two puzzle 745, a mate in three puzzle 670 and a mate in four puzzle 533 today.

So far my statistics are: 2 games with the black pieces, 1 win (50%), 1 loss (50%).

[Event "AS - SalSK 2"] [Site "?"] [Date "2010.11.20"] [Round "3"] [White "Ojanen, Jyrki"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C34"] [WhiteElo "2007"] [BlackElo "1838"] [Annotator "Stockfish 7 64 POPCNT (30s), TV"] [PlyCount "161"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 {King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense} 4. Nf3 d6 {C34 King's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nf3: 3...Nf6 and 3... d6} 5. O-O Be6 6. Bb5 Bd7 (6... a6 7. Ba4 b5 8. Bb3 Nf6 9. d3 Qd7 10. Bxf4 Ne5 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Bxe5 Rd8 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qf3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Ke7 17. Nc3 c6 18. Qf5 Rdg8 19. Qxc5+ Kd7 20. Qf5 Ke7 21. Qxe6+ {Bruinsma Oudwater, R (1683)-Porta Chicote,D (1808) Barcelona 2015 1-0 (51)}) 7. d4 g5 {N} (7... Qe7 8. Bxf4 O-O-O 9. Nc3 Nb4 10. Bc4 Be6 11. d5 Bg4 12. Qe2 c6 13. a3 cxd5 14. axb4 dxc4 15. Nd5 Qd7 16. Rxa7 Qb5 17. Ra8+ Kd7 18. Ne5+ Ke8 19. Rxd8+ Kxd8 20. Nxf7+ Kc8 21. Qxg4+ Kb8 22. Bxd6+ {Sorokina,A (2223)-Fairley,N Auckland 2005 1-0}) 8. Nc3 (8. d5 {!?} Ne5 9. Bxd7+ Kxd7 10. Bd2 {=/+}) 8... Bg7 {+/-} 9. Nd5 h6 10. c3 Nf6 11. Qe2 O-O 12. Bd3 (12. Nxf6+ Qxf6 13. Bd3 Rae8 {+/-}) 12... Re8 (12... Nxd5 {!?} 13. exd5 Ne7 {-+}) 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (13... Bxf6 {?!} 14. g3 g4 15. Nd2 {=}) 14. h3 (14. Bd2 Rac8 {+/-}) 14... Bf5 (14... Ne7 15. Qd1 {+/-}) 15. Qc2 Bg6 16. Qb3 Rab8 (16... Bxe4 {? is a blank shot} 17. Bxe4 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Rxe4 19. Qxb7 {+-}) 17. Qd5 a6 18. Re1 {White prepares the advance e5} (18. Bd2 Qe6 19. Qxe6 fxe6 {+/-}) 18... Qe6 (18... Ne7 19. Qc4 c5 20. dxc5 {-+}) 19. Qxe6 {+/-} fxe6 (19... Rxe6 {?!} 20. h4 d5 21. exd5 Rxe1+ 22. Nxe1 {=/+}) 20. Bc4 (20. b4 Rbc8 {+/-}) 20... Rbd8 (20... Na5 21. Bf1 {+/-}) 21. Bf1 (21. h4 g4 22. Nh2 Na5 {+/-}) 21... Ne7 22. e5 (22. b4 e5 23. d5 Bf6 {+/-}) 22... dxe5 ( 22... Nc6 23. exd6 cxd6 24. Bc4 {-+}) 23. Nxe5 Bxe5 24. Rxe5 Nc6 25. Re1 Kg7 26. Bc4 (26. g3 {!?} e5 27. Bg2 {+/-}) 26... e5 {-+} 27. dxe5 {?? leading to a quick end} (27. b3 e4 {-+}) 27... Rxe5 (27... Nxe5 {nails it down} 28. Bxf4 gxf4 {-+}) 28. Rxe5 Nxe5 29. Be2 Bd3 30. Bh5 Kf6 31. b3 (31. a4 {-+}) 31... Kf5 {?? throwing away the advantage} (31... Be4 {and Black has reached his goal} 32. Be2 Kf5 {-+}) 32. Ba3 {+/-} Be4 33. Re1 (33. Rd1 Rxd1+ 34. Bxd1 Kf6 {+/-}) 33... Rd2 {-+} 34. Re2 Rd1+ (34... Rxe2 {!?} 35. Bxe2 Bb1 {-+}) 35. Kh2 {+/-} Rf1 (35... Rd3 36. Bg4+ Nxg4+ 37. hxg4+ Ke5 38. Bb2 {+/-}) 36. Bc5 (36. Bg4+ Nxg4+ 37. hxg4+ Kxg4 38. Rxe4 Rf2 {=}) 36... Nd3 (36... Bd3 {!?} 37. Rd2 f3 38. Bxf3 Nxf3+ 39. gxf3 Rxf3 {+/-}) 37. Bg4+ {=} Ke5 (37... Kg6 38. Rxe4 Nxc5 39. Re5 {=}) 38. Bg1 (38. Bd4+ Kd5 39. Rd2 c5 {=}) 38... Re1 (38... c5 39. b4 {=}) 39. Bd4+ {=} Kd5 40. Rd2 Rc1 {?} (40... h5 {!? is the best option Black has} 41. Bxh5 Ke6 {=}) 41. Bg7 {+/-} Kc6 42. c4 (42. Re2 Re1 43. Rxe4 Rxe4 44. Bf3 { +/-}) 42... Ne1 {?} (42... b5 43. cxb5+ axb5 44. Bxh6 {+/=}) 43. Bxh6 (43. Re2 {with excellent chances for White} Bd3 44. Re6+ Kc5 45. Bxh6 {+-}) 43... f3 { +/= Black threatens to win material: f3xg2} 44. Bxg5 Rb1 {??} (44... fxg2 { and Black can hope to survive} 45. Rxg2 Rc3 {+/=}) 45. Bd7+ (45. Be3 {keeps an even firmer grip} b6 46. Bd7+ Kb7 47. g4 {+-}) 45... Kc5 46. Be3+ {?? White loses the upper hand} (46. Be7+ Kb6 47. b4 Ka7 {+-}) 46... Kb4 {+/-} 47. g4 Nd3 {?? leads to further unpleasantness} (47... Nc2 48. Bh6 Rh1+ 49. Kg3 Kc3 {+/-}) 48. Kg3 {+-} Kc3 49. Rh2 Rb2 (49... Rd1 {does not save the day} 50. Bf5 Bxf5 51. gxf5 {+-}) 50. Rxb2 Kxb2 (50... Nxb2 {is the last straw} 51. Bf5 Kd3 {+-}) 51. Bf5 Bxf5 52. gxf5 Kxa2 (52... f2 53. Bxf2 Kxa2 {+-}) 53. Kxf3 Ne5+ 54. Ke4 Nf7 (54... Nd7 55. Kd5 Nb8 56. Ke6 {+-}) 55. b4 Kb3 56. Kd5 Kxb4 57. Bc5+ Kb3 58. f6 a5 59. Ke6 Ng5+ 60. Kf5 Nf7 61. Ke6 (61. h4 Nd8 62. Be7 {+-}) 61... Ng5+ {= Twofold repetition} 62. Ke7 Kxc4 63. Be3 {White threatens to win material: Be3xg5} Nh7 64. h4 a4 65. Bc1 b5 66. f7 b4 67. f8=Q Nxf8 68. Kxf8 a3 {Is this a dangerous pawn?} 69. h5 Kb3 70. Bg5 c5 71. h6 {A strong pawn} c4 {?? overlooking an easy win} (71... a2 {is the best chance} 72. Bf6 c4 {=}) 72. h7 a2 (72... c3 {cannot change destiny} 73. h8=Q a2 74. Qh1 Kc4 75. Ke7 c2 76. Kd6 c1=R 77. Qxc1+ Kd4 78. Qd2+ Kc4 79. Qc2+ Kd4 80. Qxa2 Kd3 81. Kc5 b3 82. Qd2+ Ke4 83. Qd5#) 73. h8=Q c3 74. Qh1 Kb2 (74... Kc4 {doesn't do any good} 75. Qf1+ Kd5 76. Ke7 Kd4 77. Kd6 a1=R 78. Qxa1 Ke4 79. Qf1 c2 80. Qf4+ Kd3 81. Qd2+ Kc4 82. Qd5+ Kc3 83. Bf6#) 75. Qc1+ {+-} Kb3 76. Ke7 Kc4 (76... a1=N {is not the saving move} 77. Qxa1 Kc2 78. Ke6 b3 79. Qc1+ Kd3 80. Qd1+ Kc4 81. Qd5+ Kb4 82. Be7+ Ka4 83. Qc4+ Ka5 84. Bd8#) 77. Bf6 (77. Kd6 Kb3 78. Kc5 c2 79. Bf6 a1=Q 80. Bxa1 Ka4 81. Qxc2+ Ka3 82. Qb2+ Ka4 83. Qxb4#) 77... Kb3 (77... Kd5 { a fruitless try to alter the course of the game} 78. Qd1+ Ke4 79. Qe2+ Kf4 80. Be5+ Kf5 81. Qe3 a1=Q 82. Qf4+ Kg6 83. Qg4+ Kh6 84. Bf4+ Kh7 85. Qf5+ Kh8 86. Be5+ Kg8 87. Qg6#) 78. Kd6 Kc4 (78... a1=B {is no salvation} 79. Qxa1 Kc2 80. Kc5 Kd3 81. Qf1+ Kc2 82. Kc4 b3 83. Qe2+ Kb1 84. Kxb3 c2 85. Qxc2#) 79. Be5 ( 79. Qd1 Kb5 80. Qd5+ Ka4 81. Qxa2+ Kb5 82. Bd8 c2 83. Kd5 b3 84. Qa5#) 79... Kb3 (79... Kd3 {does not solve anything} 80. Kd5 Ke2 81. Ke4 a1=Q 82. Qxa1 b3 83. Qxc3 b2 84. Qf3+ Kd2 85. Qd3+ Kc1 86. Bf4#) 80. Kc5 Ka4 (80... a1=R { cannot change what is in store for White} 81. Qxa1 Kc2 82. Kc4 Kd2 83. Qf1 Kc2 84. Qe2+ Kb1 85. Kb3 c2 86. Qxc2#) 81. Bxc3 $1 {Mate attack.} (81. Bxc3 a1=N 82. Qxa1+ Kb3 83. Qb2+ Ka4 84. Qxb4#) 1-0 [Event "Live Chess"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2016.01.01"] [Round "?"] [White "EhsanAliabadi"] [Black "Vierjoki, Timo"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C34"] [WhiteElo "1251"] [BlackElo "1382"] [Annotator "Stockfish 8 64 POPCNT (30s)"] [PlyCount "72"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bc4 Nc6 {C34 King's Gambit Accepted: 3.Nf3: 3. ..Nf6 and 3...d6} 5. O-O Be6 {Black threatens to win material: Be6xc4} 6. d4 $4 $146 {there were better ways to keep up the pressure} (6. Bb5 Nf6 (6... Bd7 7. d4 Qe7 8. Bxf4 O-O-O 9. Nc3 Nb4 10. Bc4 Be6 11. d5 Bg4 12. Qe2 c6 13. a3 cxd5 14. axb4 dxc4 15. Nd5 Qd7 16. Rxa7 Qb5 17. Ra8+ Kd7 18. Ne5+ Ke8 19. Rxd8+ Kxd8 20. Nxf7+ Kc8 21. Qxg4+ {Sorokina,A (2223)-Fairley,N Auckland 2005 1-0}) 7. d4 Bd7 8. Qe2 Be7 9. Bxf4 d5 10. Nbd2 dxe4 11. Nxe4 O-O 12. c3 a6 13. Bd3 Re8 14. Qf2 Bg4 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qxf6 Qxf6 {Ventos Alfonso,A (1854)-Barba Rios,E (1697) Catalunya 2008 1-0 (52)} ) (6. Qe2 Qd7 7. d4 Bxc4 8. Qxc4 f6 9. Bxf4 O-O-O 10. Nc3 g5 11. Bg3 h5 12. b4 h4 13. Bf2 h3 14. g3 g4 15. Nh4 Bh6 16. Nf5 Bd2 17. Nb5 d5 18. Nfd6+ cxd6 19. exd5 Qf5 20. dxc6 Qf3 {Revesz,N (1841)-Heintz,S (1740) Hungary 2015 0-1 (46)}) (6. Bxe6 fxe6 7. d4 e5 8. c3 Nf6 9. Ng5 Qe7 10. d5 Nd8 11. Qe2 Nxd5 12. exd5 Qxg5 13. Bxf4 Qe7 14. Bg3 g6 15. Nd2 Bg7 16. Ne4 Rf8 17. Qg4 Nf7 18. Bh4 Qd7 19. Qg3 Nh6 20. Bf6 Nf5 {Riemer,M-Schuette,A Germany 2009 1/2-1/2}) (6. Bxe6 $142 {is just about the only chance} fxe6 7. d4 $11) 6... Bxc4 $19 7. d5 (7. Rf2 {doesn't change anything anymore} Nf6 8. b3 Ba6 $19) 7... Ne5 (7... Bxf1 { and Black can already relax} 8. Qxf1 Ne5 9. Bxf4 Nxf3+ 10. Qxf3 $19) 8. Rf2 (8. Re1 {cannot undo what has already been done} g5 $19) 8... Be7 (8... Nf6 { seems even better} 9. b3 Ba6 10. c4 $19) 9. b3 (9. Qd4 {is no salvation} Nxf3+ 10. Rxf3 Be2 $19) 9... Ba6 10. c4 Nf6 11. Bxf4 Nxf3+ (11... Nxe4 $142 $5 { might be the shorter path} 12. Re2 f5 13. Nd4 $19) 12. Qxf3 O-O 13. Nd2 Nd7 14. Raf1 (14. Qe2 {does not save the day} Re8 $19) 14... Bf6 15. e5 (15. Qd3 { does not improve anything} Qe7 $19) 15... Nxe5 16. Bxe5 (16. Qe2 {cannot change what is in store for White} c6 17. dxc6 bxc6 $19) 16... Bxe5 17. Ne4 ( 17. Qd3 {is not the saving move} c5 18. dxc6 bxc6 $19) 17... Bd4 18. Qg3 (18. a4 {is not much help} Qe7 $19) 18... Bxf2+ (18... b5 {makes it even easier for Black} 19. Qd3 Bxf2+ 20. Rxf2 bxc4 21. bxc4 $19) 19. Rxf2 Qe7 20. Ng5 (20. Rf4 {doesn't do any good} b6 $19) 20... Qe1+ 21. Rf1 Qxg3 22. hxg3 Rae8 23. Kf2 Re5 (23... Re7 {might be the shorter path} 24. Nf3 $19) 24. Nf3 Re7 25. Rh1 (25. Nd4 {does not win a prize} Rfe8 $19) 25... Rfe8 26. Ng5 (26. Nd4 {there is nothing else anyway} b6 27. Rb1 $19) 26... Re2+ 27. Kf3 h6 (27... R8e3+ 28. Kg4 Rxg2 29. Kf4 Rexg3 30. Nxh7 g5+ 31. Nxg5 Rg4+ 32. Kf3 Rxg5 33. Re1 R5g3+ 34. Kf4 Kg7 35. Re3 Rxe3 36. Kxe3 Rxa2 37. Kd3 f5 38. b4 Ra3+ 39. Kc2 Bxc4 40. b5 Bxb5 41. Kb1 f4 42. Kc2 Rd3 43. Kb1 f3 44. Ka1 f2 45. Kb1 f1=Q+ 46. Ka2 Qe2+ 47. Ka1 Rd1#) 28. Nh3 Rxa2 (28... R8e3+ 29. Kf4 Re4+ 30. Kf3 g5 31. Nf4 gxf4 32. Rh3 R2e3+ 33. Kf2 fxg3+ 34. Rxg3+ Rxg3 35. Kxg3 Re2 36. a3 Re3+ 37. Kf2 Rxb3 38. g3 Rxa3 39. g4 Bxc4 40. Kg2 Rb3 41. Kf2 a5 42. g5 hxg5 43. Kg2 a4 44. Kh2 Bxd5 45. Kg1 Rb2 46. Kf1 a3 47. Ke1 a2 48. Kd1 a1=Q#) 29. Kg4 Ree2 (29... Re3 $142 {nails it down} 30. Nf4 Rxb3 31. Re1 $19) 30. Nf4 Re4 (30... Re3 $142 {makes it even easier for Black} 31. Kh3 Rxb3 32. c5 dxc5 33. Re1 $19) 31. Rf1 g5 32. Kf3 Rd4 (32... f5 33. g4 Rxf4+ 34. Kg3 Rxf1 35. gxf5 Rb2 36. b4 Bxc4 37. b5 Bxd5 38. Kg4 Rxg2+ 39. Kh5 Bf7+ 40. Kxh6 Rh1#) 33. Ne2 Rdd2 (33... Rd3+ 34. Ke4 Rxb3 35. Nc1 Bxc4 36. Rh1 Bxd5+ 37. Kxd5 Ra5+ 38. Kc4 Re3 39. Kb4 Raa3 40. Rd1 Rec3 41. Rxd6 c6 42. Rd8+ Kg7 43. Ra8 c5+ 44. Kb5 Rxc1 45. Rg8+ Kxg8 46. g4 Rb3+ 47. Ka4 Rb4+ 48. Ka3 Ra1#) 34. Nc3 Rab2 (34... Rd3+ 35. Kg4 Rxc3 36. Rf3 Rxf3 37. gxf3 Rb2 38. Kf5 Rxb3 39. f4 Bxc4 40. fxg5 Rxg3 41. g6 Bxd5 42. Kf6 Kf8 43. g7+ Rxg7 44. Kf5 Rg3 45. Kf4 Rf3+ 46. Kg4 Kg7 47. Kh5 Be6 48. Kh4 Rh3#) 35. Nb5 (35. Re1 {doesn't change the outcome of the game} Rxb3 36. Re3 Bxc4 37. Ne4 Rxe3+ 38. Kxe3 Rd3+ 39. Kf2 f5 40. Nf6+ Kf7 41. Nh5 Kg6 42. g4 Rd2+ 43. Ke3 Rxg2 44. gxf5+ Kxh5 45. f6 Kg6 46. f7 Kxf7 47. Kd4 b5 48. Kc3 a5 49. Kd4 Rg3 50. Ke4 c5 51. dxc6 Kf6 52. c7 Rd3 53. c8=Q d5#) 35... Rxb3+ (35... Bxb5 36. Ke4 Bd7 37. Rf3 f5+ 38. Ke3 g4 39. b4 Rxg2 40. Kd4 gxf3 41. Kc3 f2 42. g4 f1=Q 43. b5 Qf3+ 44. Kd4 Rxg4#) 36. Ke4 Bxb5 (36... Bxb5 37. Rf3 Re2+ 38. Kd4 c5+ 39. dxc6 Rd2+ 40. Ke4 Bxc6+ 41. Kf5 Bxf3 42. gxf3 Rxf3+ 43. Kg4 Rf1 44. c5 Rh2 45. c6 f5#) 0-1