[Event "Essefbee's Study: David McGeeney (126) v Steve Barry (125)"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/IuBY5uZz/lAnzqfay"] [Result "*"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C57"] [Opening "Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Traxler Counterattack, Knight Sacrifice Line"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/Essefbee"] [UTCDate "2017.07.10"] [UTCTime "19:47:21"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/IuBY5uZz/lAnzqfay"] [Orientation "black"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 { The Traxler Gambit (I blame Haldane for this) . Yes I know it's unsound but it makes for fun games and at my level opponents often lack a deep knowledge of the variations. } 5. Nxf7 Bxf2+ 6. Kf1 Qe7 7. Nxh8 { I like to think of this as White removing an active knight from play for a rook that was doing nothing ;-) } 7... d5 8. exd5 Nd4 { These are all 'book' moves. White now has to deal with the threat of Bg5. Best moves for White are 9 h3 to which Black replies Bh5 or Bg6 with attacking chances against the king, or possibly best 9 d6 which allows the knight to get back into play - but d6 isn't the sort of move that is easy to find over the board. } 9. c3 Bg4 10. Qa4+? { 10 d6 is needed here. At this point I was 'out of the book', but fortunately found the right move: } 10... Nd7 { So White is a rook and a pawn up with the choice of two pieces to take - what could possibly go wrong? I discovered after the game that this is a known won position for Black. White's queen is offside, the queenside undeveloped, and the exposed king has only a bishop to defend it against Black's queen, two bishops and a knight. 11 Kxf2 fails to 11...Qh4+, 12 g3 Qf3+, 13 Ke1 Qf4 threatening ..Qe4+ and Nc2+. 11 cxd4 is followed by 11...Qf3 and White will have to sacrifice the queen to avoid imminent mate. } 11. cxd4 Bxd4? { My first mistake. I had considered Qf6 but instead decided to open the f file. Not a disaster as Black is still winning. } 12. Ke1 Qf6 13. Rf1 Qh4+ 14. g3 Qxh2 { The last few moves have been best play. Now White has to play Qa3 or Qb3. } 15. Qb3? { He chose - poorly. (Although Qa3 is still losing). White is in a real bind now - his bishop on c5 is tied to preventing mate on e2, his queen is preventing Qxg3 and mate, and he cannot play e3 or Nc3 for the same reason. After 15...Nc5 and 16...e4 he will have to sacrifice his queen. } 15... Nb6?? { ..and with one simple move I threw it all away. The only explantion for playing this is that is what people of my grade do!! } 16. Bb5+ c6 17. dxc6 O-O-O 18. cxb7+ Kb8 19. Na3 Na4 { Nd5 threatening Nf4, Ng2+ is better here. My thoughts were to interpose my knight between the queen and g3. } 20. Nc2 Nc3 21. Nxd4 { As I couldn't see a win I decided to take the perpetual check with Qxg3+, Qg1+. } 21... Qxg3+ 22. Rf2 Qg1+ 23. Rf1 Qg3+ 24. Rf2 Qg1+ { Only now realising he can play Bf1 after which I'm dead (computer says +13). Cheekily I offered a draw; reader, he accepted! } *