Quaker Steak I, 2007
Round 3 [McCartney,P]
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05/01/2008 - This week's game comes from the final round of Quaker Steak I where I
played a very contraversial defense that I find perfectly sound if played right, but most I'm sure will
argue with me about that! 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 The Latvian Gambit has always been one of my favorite lines to play as Black, especially when the time control is fairly short, which in this game was Game in 70 with 5 second delay. 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 White should not be giving Black free tempi, and instead, 5.Nc4, after which 5...fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 is almost always played, after which, White has numerous choices for the 7th move, of which, 7.f3, in theory, is best. 5...fxe4 6.Ng5 White has noth ing better here: A) 6.Qe2?! Qe7! and now A1) 7.Ng5 Nf6 8.Nc3 d5 9.Bf4 h6 10. Nh3 and Black is better, Polland - Pupols, USA 1968. A2) 7.Nfd2 Nf6 8.c4 Bf5 9.Nc3 Landgren-Zalitis, Sweden 1978 and here, Black is better after 9...Nc6! 10.Nb2 Nb4 intending ...Nd3+. B) White loses a piece after 6.Bxg5?? Qg6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bxe7 exf3 0-1 Deronne - Gedult, Paris 1975 6...d5 7.c4 h6 This gives Black a slight advantage as long as he doesn't take the h3-Knight right away, but even better is 7...c6! 8.Nc3 Bb4 9.Qb3 Bxc3+ 10.bxc3 h6 11.Nh3 Ne7 12.Be3 O-O, as played in a correspondence game, Destrebecq - Senechaud,1997 8.Nh3 Bb4+ The immediate 8...Bxh3 is answered by 9.Qh5+! 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 Bxh3 11.gxh3 Nc6  The
move 11...c6 holds the center, but Black intends to castle Queenside, and after the trade of d-pawns
and an open center, Black is ready to develop his Kingside pieces and roll right down the middle as White
has no safe haven for his King.12.cxd5?  12.Nc3
holds Black's advantage to a minimum.12...Nxd4 13.Bg2 17.Rc1  White
had to play 17.Qe3 . Now White suffers a fatal attack.17...e3 18.fxe3 Otherwise, 18.Qe2 exf2+ 19.Qxf2 Rhe8+ 20.Kf1 Qxh3+ 21.Rg2 Ng4 22.Qg3 Ne3+ is winning. 18...Rhe8 19.Rxg7 This loses immediately, but even after 19.Nd1 Re7 20.Qf2 Qxh3 21.Rg3 Qh5 22.Nc3 Nxd5 23.Rd1 Nxc3, Black's still winning. 19...Rxe3+ 20.Ne2?? The worst of White's 3 legal options 20...Nxd5? Black is still clearly winning here, but 20...Qh1! is mate in 2 after 21.Rg1 Qxg1# or 21.Kf2 Rf3# 21.Kd1 Rxe2 22.Qxe2 Nc3+ Black forces mate here. 23.Kc2 Qxe2+ 24.Kb3 Qe6+ 25.Ka3 Nb5+ 25...Qxa2+ is 2 moves faster, but like it matters at this point. White can still save some face by resigning here. 26.Kb4 White can prolong it a couple of moves with 26.Ka4. 26...Rd4+ 27.Kxb5 Qb6# 0-1 |