[Event "Sunday Blitz Event Arena"] [Site "lichess.org"] [Date "2020.08.16"] [Round "?"] [White "Paul H."] [Black "deep_swindle"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C47"] [WhiteElo "2100"] [BlackElo "1902"] [PlyCount "47"] [EventDate "2020.??.??"] [EventType "blitz"] {[%evp 0,47,19,31,34,19,13,24,13,4,4,4,9,2,35,35,19,15,23,23,27,20,93,38,72,18, 79,1,77,83,195,189,218,197,198,194,196,195,234,209,211,220,210,70,533,622,706, 837,29999,-30000]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 {Trying something different. After playing 2. f4 for so long, I decided to take my opponent out of book. This is the Four Knights Game, an opening I haven't played in years.} Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 {The fourth knight develops, hence the opening's name.} 4. d4 {The Scotch Four Knights.} exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 bxc6 8. Bd3 {This seemed like a passive move but it's necessary to protect e4.} O-O 9. O-O Qe7 10. Re1 Qc5 $2 {Already coming off the rails. Black needs to play} (10... d6 11. h3 Nd7 12. f4 $11) (10... Qe5 11. Bd2 d6 12. h3 Rb8 13. f4 Qc5+ 14. Kh1 Re8 15. Qf3 Qa5 16. Rad1 Ba6 17. c4 Qh5 18. g4 Qc5 19. Be3 Qb4 20. Bxa7 Rb7 21. Bd4 Nd7 22. Qf1 c5 23. Ba1 Qa4 24. e5 Rbb8 25. Kh2 Nb6 26. exd6 cxd6 27. Rxe8+ Rxe8 28. Re1 d5 29. Rxe8+ Qxe8 30. cxd5 c4 31. Qe2 Qb8 32. Be4 Qxf4+ 33. Kg2 Qd6 34. Bf3 Bb5 35. Qe5 Qxe5 36. Bxe5 Nd7 37. Bd6 f5 38. Kf2 Kf7 39. Ke3 Kf6 40. Kd4 {Polster,C (2294)-Hoeffer,D (2245) Germany 2018 1-0}) 11. Qd2 $2 $146 {Planning a4 and Ba3.} (11. e5 $1 Nd5 12. c4 Nb6 13. Re4 d5 14. Rh4 g6 15. Qd2 f5 16. exf6 Rxf6 17. Bb2 Rf7 18. Bxg6 Qxf2+ 19. Qxf2 Rxf2 20. Bxh7+ Kf7 21. Kxf2 Nxc4 22. Bd4 Bd7 23. Re1 Be6 24. Rf4+ Ke7 25. Bf5 {1-0 (25) Arutyunova,D (2224) -Wagenleitner,W (1901) Weiz 2016}) 11... Rb8 12. a4 {This was my idea all along, developing the bishop on the a3 diagonal.} (12. e5 Nd5 13. c4 Nb4 14. Ba3 Qa5 15. Re3 $1 Re8 16. Be4 c5 17. Rg3 $16) 12... Qa5 (12... Re8 13. Ba3 Qe5 14. f4 Qa5 $14) 13. Ba3 Re8 14. Bb4 $36 Qb6 $2 (14... Qe5 {A better square but he still walks into} 15. f4 Qh5 16. e5 Nd5 17. Bc5 Qh6 18. Bxa7 Ra8 19. Be3 $16 ) 15. a5 Qb7 $8 16. a6 $1 {Taking away the a6 square for the c8 bishop.} Qb6 17. Ba5 $6 (17. e5 $1 {Once again, e5 is crushing.} Nd5 18. Ba5 Qc5 19. c4 Nb4 20. Bxc7 Nxd3 21. Qxd3 Rb4 (21... Rb2 22. Bd6 Qb6 23. Ba3 $18 {and the rook is trapped.}) 22. Bd6 Qxc4 23. Bxb4 Qxb4 24. Qd6 $18) 17... Qc5 18. Bxc7 Rb2 19. e5 Nd5 20. Bd6 Qxc3 21. Qg5 $6 (21. Qxc3 {is a very comfortable win for White but I wanted to keep queens on the board.} Nxc3 22. Bc5 Nb5 23. f4 g6 24. g4 Nc7 25. Bxa7 Bxa6 26. Bxa6 Rxc2 27. Bd3 $18) 21... Nb4 $4 {Not even seeing what is about to happen...} (21... h6 {Necessary to keep the queen away but perhaps Black felt this would be weakening his king safety.} 22. Qf5 g6 23. Qg4 Kg7 24. h4 $18 {Black is still worse but not as bad as in the game.}) (21... h6 22. Qf5 g6 $18 {As in previous variations, Black is fighting an uphill battle but given this is a blitz game, anything can happen.}) 22. e6 $1 {This is something my studies have taught me. Sacrificing a pawn for the initiative. This moves prepares Be5 and White is winning.} dxe6 (22... Nxd3 23. exf7+ Kxf7 24. Qh5+ g6 25. Qxh7+ Qg7 26. Qxg7+ Kxg7 27. Rxe8 Rxc2 28. Rxc8 $18) (22... fxe6 23. Be5 $18) (22... Rxe6 $4 23. Qd8+ Re8 24. Qxe8#) (22... f6 23. Qh5 $18 {[%csl Ye8,Yh7][%CAl Gh5h7,Gd3h7,Gh5e8] #7}) 23. Be5 Qc5 $4 ({I anticipated} 23... f6 24. Bxc3 fxg5 25. Bxb2 $19 {which is just winning for White.}) 24. Qxg7# 1-0