What Fancy Checkmate?

Bob L. took another point from khob86 to move our club to an unbeatable score of 5.5-3.5 in our match against the Winchester club with just one game to go. Bob passed up the fancy attacks and checkmates and took the long slog to an endgame capitulation. Fritz analyzes after the break.


(43) lenningrl (1730) - khob86 (1769)
Online Chess Chess.com (1), 30.09.2009
[Fritz 11 (30s)]

C27: Vienna Game: 2...Nf6 3 Bc4 Nxe4 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nc3 d6 5.f4 Ng4 6.f5 Nf2 7.Qh5 last book move.
 

White has a mate threat 7...0–0 [7...g6 8.Qh6 Kd7= (8...Nxh1 9.Bg5 f6 10.fxg6 fxg5 11.g7+-) ] 8.Bg5+- Qe8 9.Nd5 Qa4??
 

sad, but how else could Black save the game? [¹9...b5 10.Bf6! Mate attack 10...Be3+- (10...Nxh1?? mating in 4 11.Qg5 Bf2+ 12.Kd1 g6 13.Qh6 bxc4 14.Qg7#; 10...bxc4?? misses a pretty mating combination 11.Qg5 Bb4+ 12.Kf1 g6 13.Qh6 Nxh1 14.Qg7#) ] 10.Nf6+ [10.Ne7+ Kh8 11.f6 Bb4+ 12.Kxf2 Rg8 13.Qxf7 Qxc2+ 14.Kf1 Qf2+ 15.Kxf2 Be6 16.Qxe6 Be1+ 17.Rxe1 Re8 18.fxg7+ Kxg7 19.Qf6#] 10...gxf6 11.Bxf6 Be3 12.Qf3 Bf4 [12...Qa5+ does not help much 13.c3 h6 14.Qxe3 Ng4+- (14...Nxh1?? is refuted decisively by mate in 3 15.Qxh6 Qxc3+ 16.bxc3 Ng3 17.Qg7#) ] 13.Qxf2 [13.Kxf2 Qxc2+ 14.Ne2 Qd2 15.Qg4+ Bg5 16.Bxg5 Qxg5 17.Qxg5+ Kh8 18.Qf6+ Kg8 19.Ng3 Nd7 20.Qh6 Kh8 21.f6 Rg8 22.Bxf7 Nc5 23.Bxg8 Nxd3+ 24.Ke3 Kxg8 25.Qg7#] 13...Qb4+?? terrible, but what else could Black do to save the game? [13...Nd7 14.Be7 Qb4+ 15.c3 Qb6+-] 14.c3 Qb6
 

15.Qxb6 [¹15.Qh4 finishes off the opponent 15...h6 16.Qg4+ Bg5 17.Bxg5 hxg5 18.Qxg5+ Kh7 19.f6 Qe3+ 20.Qxe3 Rd8 21.Qg5 Nc6 22.Qg7#] 15...axb6 16.Nf3 h6? [¹16...Nd7!? 17.Bh4 Kg7±] 17.Ke2 Nd7 18.Bh4 c6 [18...Nc5 19.g3 Bg5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Bxg5+-] 19.g3 Bg5 20.Nxg5 hxg5 21.Bxg5 Kh7 [21...b5 22.Bb3 Re8+-] 22.Be7 Re8 23.Bxd6 f6 24.Be6 [¹24.a4!? makes it even easier for White 24...Ra7+-] 24...Kg7 [24...Nc5 hardly improves anything 25.Bxc5 Bxe6 26.Bxb6+- (26.fxe6?! bxc5 27.a3 Rxe6+-) ] 25.Bc7 Nc5 [25...b5 is no salvation 26.d4+-] 26.Bxc8 Raxc8 27.Bxb6 Nd7 [27...Na4 cannot undo what has already been done 28.Be3+-] 28.Be3 c5 29.g4 Rh8 [29...Rc6 cannot change destiny 30.h4+-] 30.h4 White prepares g5 30...Rh7 31.Rh2 Rch8 32.Rah1 b6 33.g5 [33.h5 might be the shorter path 33...Kf7+-] 33...fxg5 34.Bxg5 Nf6 [34...Rh5 does not solve anything 35.Kf3+-] 35.Bxf6+ Kxf6 36.Ke3 [36.Rg2 and White can already relax 36...Rxh4 37.Rg6+ Kf7 38.Rxh4 Rxh4 39.Rxb6 c4+-] 36...b5 [36...Rg7 is not much help 37.h5+-] 37.d4 cxd4+ 38.cxd4 exd4+ 39.Kxd4 Rd8+ [39...Rc7 doesn't improve anything 40.Ke3 Re8 41.Rg1+-] 40.Ke3 Ke5 [40...Ra7 does not save the day 41.Rg1 Rxa2 42.Rc2+-] 41.Rd2 Rxd2 [41...Rb8 doesn't get the cat off the tree 42.h5+-] 42.Kxd2 Kxe4 43.h5 [¹43.f6 and White wins 43...Rd7+ 44.Kc2 Rf7+-] 43...Kxf5 44.Kc3 Ke5 [44...Rh6 doesn't get the bull off the ice 45.Kb4+-] 45.Kb4 Kf5 [45...Kd5+- the last chance for counterplay] 46.h6 Kg6 47.b3 Kf7 48.Kxb5 Kg8 49.a4 Kh8 50.Kb6 [50.a5 keeps an even firmer grip 50...Rb7+ 51.Ka4 Rf7+-] 50...Re7 [50...Rf7 doesn't do any good 51.a5+-] 51.b4 Re4 52.Ka5 Re5+ 53.b5 1–0