PMCA: game

Excellent game and annotation, it's a pleasure to read.

a very interesting game, especially from Blacks' point of view... and I am surely not the only one, that could have improved easily on Blacks' play; Black should have won this game, but the winner is always right in chess... the one who makes fewer mistakes...

It looks a little like white fears …….d5xc4

Can't White go for the old a4 - Nc3 - e4 plan? I mean something like: 5. a4, b5, 6. axb5, cxb5, 7. Nc3, b4!?, 8. Nb5, with Qxc4 to follow...

White can - but that line is not forced - and neither is it clearly better than the game continuation. I don’t like dxc4 by black - it rather gives up the centre.

Although not any immediate threat as both queen and knight are protecting it.

best here is Bf5, against an immediate Ne5! (forces Be6, with loss of tempo), somewhere followed by e6...

Ambitious - but probably the best chance of an opening advantage for white.

very inaccurate; Black had no better than Bxf3, gxf3, Nb6, Qd3, Qc7, Ne2, e5...

I’m not sure how black would be able to get the pawn back if white took with the knight intead of the pawn?

of course Nxe5, Nxe5, dxe5, Nd7, f3/f4, looks more promising for White...

making matters worse; best was Nh5...

Inspired play! Most players would automatically recapture on f3!

this gives any advantage - and probably the whole game - away; best and probably only option is exf6!, Qxf6 (Bg4/Bh5, fxg7), gxf3, Ne5, Qa4, Nxf3+, Ke2, Nd4+, Ke1, with an equal position... although White has lost the right to castle and a full piece, Black has nothing but drawing after again Nf3+, Ke2; all other variations are better for White... e.g. (from Ke1) Bc5, Be3, Rd8, Bxd4, Rxd4, Qc2, 0-0, Rg1, Rfd8, Rd1, and White is better...

the best move and already winning...

Should Nxf7 be discarded? After 11. Qe6+, Qe7, 12. QxQ+, BxQ, 13. gxB, black is a pawn dawn but it's not a lost game. fen= "r3k2r/pp2bnpp/2p2n2/8/4P3/2N2P2/PP3P1P/R1B1KB1R b KQkq -"

in fact, this is the only move, that does not lose directly... ALL other variations are directly winning for Black...

This also perhaps gives white the option of playing Qxb7 at some stage.

indeed Qb3, Qd7, Na4 or Qc5+, Ke6 (Kxf7?, Qxe5), Bc4+, Nd5 (only move), exd5+ were better, after simply Kxf7, Whites' attack is clearly over, and he must fight hard in order not to lose...

White has to retake the B and after gxB, Nxf3+ follows, a great wound in white's field.

no less than a horrible blunder: after Kxf7, Qb3+, Ke8!, Qe6+ (what else? White is a piece behind, and Black is treathening to take over the attack), Qe7, Whites' ambitions are totally over and Black is winning... there are not enough question marks for this terrible move...

Once again white cleverly ignores the obvious capture and instead develops.

although Black screwed up already, 12. ... Ke7, Qxb7+, Ke6 was much to be preferred; now it's going definitely downhill for Black...

in fact, the only option to keep some attack going...

Bxb5 completed white's developement, allowing o-o, and maintained an eye on f3 - black can sac Bxf3 with some prospects, I think. It's difficult to calculate the true weight of all the possible effects a couple of moves have. But I, as white, would have gone with 16. Rd1´+. It forces Kf7 (Kf6, Qxb5+), 17. Qc3+, Kg6, and then 1) 18. Be3+, Ka6, 19. Rd4!, where Ra4#, so it forces black into 19... Nc4 (20. RxN, bxR, 21. Qxc4+, b5, 22. Qc6+, Ka5, 23. Qxb5#. or in the more promising 19... g6, where 20. Ra4+, Kb7, 21. Bxb5, Bxf7 ...or the simpler 2) 18. BxNe5, threatening Rd6+. Black has Rd8, 21. RxR, QxR, 22. Bd4+ Ka6, 23. a4! (threatening axb5#), so g6, 24. Bxb5+, Kb7, fen"3q1b1r/pk3Ppp/1p3n2/1B5b/P2BP3/2Q2P2/1P4PP/4K2R w K -" 25. Qc6!, Kb8, 26. Ba6! and black has to stop the mate with the Q, and at 27. Be5+ wins. Very interesting, and sorry for the many fen diagrams.