(1) MikeMurray (2049) - alpen (2212)

I consider the following game to be entertaining and reasonably coherent for blitz. The variations stand up to Rybka's scrutiny better than many games I've played under standard tournament time control.

1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 dxe4 4.f3
Blackmar-Diemer specialist Ernst Rasmussen lives near me in Port Townsend, and has been trying to get me using it for some time. Entering the Gambit via the Caro-Kann seemed attractive, since it constrains the many Black acceptances to one: the Ziegler Defense.

4...exf3 5.Nxf3 Nf6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bg5 Be7 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.Ne5
[One book example is 9.Qe1 0-0 10.Bd3 g6 11.Qh4 Re8 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Nh5 14.Ne4 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 Rf8 16.g4 Qd4+ 17.Kg2 f5 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Be4 and Ryabov-Gardner, 2007, agreed to a draw.]

9...0-0 10.Qe1 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd5
!? [After 11...Ng4 ! 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Qg3 Qc5+ 14.Kh1 Nxe5 (14...Qxc4 15.Rf4 gives White what he wants.) 15.Bb3 f5 and White will be hard put to justify the material deficit.]

12.Bxe7 Nxe7
After recapture with the Queen, White wouldn't get the free Rook deployment.

13.Rd1 Qc7 14.Bd3 Ng6 15.Bxg6 hxg6
The rest of the game has one major theme: White tries to deliver mate down the h-file, while clogging up the f6 square to keep Black from providing an escape hatch for his King.

16.Rd3 Bd7
[The pawn-snatch 16...Qb6+ 17.Kh1 Qxb2 18.Rh3 f5 19.Qg3 gives White crushing compensation.]

17.Rh3
?! [White should first deploy the Queen to inhibit ... g5 or ... f6 diversions. After 17.Qh4 f6 18.exf6 e5 19.Qc4+ Rf7 20.Nd5 Be6 21.Nxc7 Bxc4 22.Nxa8 Bxd3 23.cxd3 gxf6 24.Rf3 White will have trouble getting his Knight out, but a piece is a piece.]

17...Qd8
[Rybka prefers 17...f5 18.exf6 e5 19.Rg3 Rxf6 20.Rxf6 gxf6 21.Rxg6+ Kf7 22.Qg3 Qb6+ 23.Kh1 Bf5 ]

18.Ne4 Qe7
? [Loses. After the correct 18...g5 19.Rd3 Qe7 20.Nxg5 Qxg5 21.Rxd7 and White has recovered his material with pressure, but it's still a fight.]

19.Rf6
?! [Winning, but using the Knight to clog things up was much better. As Rybka points out, White forces mate after 19.Nf6+ gxf6 20.Qh4 ]

19...g5 20.Nxg5
The Pawn wasn't going anywhere. This lets the Black Queen in by the side door, as it were, and complicates matters. White should have take the time to quietly get his King out of range of a check by Black's Queen by [20.Kh1 gxf6 21.exf6 ]

20...Qc5+ 21.Kh1 Qxc2 22.Rc3
[The Queen's not the only piece that can deliver mate. White should threaten to double Rooks on the h-file, with 22.Rf4 f6 23.exf6 Rxf6 24.Rxf6 gxf6 25.Ne4 Kf8 26.Rh8+ Ke7 27.Rxa8 c5 28.b4 Bc6 29.Nd2 Qxa2 30.bxc5 ]

22...Qxb2 23.h3
[Also good was 23.Rh3 Qc2 24.Rf4 f6 25.exf6 Rxf6 26.Rxf6 gxf6 27.Ne4 similar to the previous note.]

23...gxf6
After resisting for some time, Black gives in to temptation and grabs the Rook, which loses. After [23...Qb4 ! 24.Ne4 ! Black can struggle on. Rybka gives White a big plus in all variations, but, after all, we're talking practical chances in a blitz game.]

24.exf6
[Cleaner was 24.Ne4 (with the threat of mating via Qg3 to h4 and Rg3) 24...Rfd8 25.exf6 Qxc3 26.Nxc3 Kh7 27.Qg3 ]

24...e5
[Or 24...Qb5 25.Rc5 ! 25...Qd3 26.Ne4 and it's curtains.]

25.Qh4
The temptation to sac yet another Rook was too strong, but even better was [25.Ne6 ! and Black is helpless against the threat of mate at g7.]

25...Bf5
[After this, White forces mate, but 25...Qb1+ 26.Kh2 Qg6 27.Rg3 Bf5 28.Nh7 is also hopeless.]

26.Rg3
[26.Qh6 was faster.]

26...Qc1+ 27.Kh2 Bg6 28.Qh6 1-0