[Event "GotM #98"] [Site "London"] [Date "1834.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "De Labourdonnais, Louis Charles Mahe"] [Black "McDonnell, Alexander"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Connaughton,Ken"] [ECO "D20"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [WhiteFideId "-1"] [PlyCount "72"] [GameId "2186557754930448"] [EventDate "1834.??.??"] [EventCountry "ENG"] {[%evp 0,72,23,35,4,14,0,3,9,-8,29,26,-6,33,32,98,90,75,138,-43,-30,-15,10,0,0,-43,50,-22,18,30,-6,1,-60,1,-103,-53,-188,-75,-138,-124,-196,-137,-84,-192,-215,-322,-239,-579,-477,-400,-275,-232,-383,-294,-389,-394,-385,-402,-481,-498,-483,-586,-673,-993,-1103,-1037,-1354,-1451,-1804,-2186,-2254,-2237,-2609,-29991,-29992]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 (2. Nf3 {is standard here if you're not looking for a Queen's Gambit Declined adventure.}) 2... dxc4 {The Queen's Gambit is usually declined but the Accepted lines are also well travelled.} (2... e6 {Main way to decline.}) (2... c6 {Semi-Slav Defense is also a major system.}) 3. e4 {3.Nf3 and 3.e3 are the other main moves here.} (3. Nf3) (3. e3) 3... e5 4. d5 (4. Nf3 {and play may continue as follows:} exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8. Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 Rb8 10. Qa6 Nf6 11. Nbd2 Bd6 12. b3 O-O 13. Bb2 e5 $11) 4... f5 {Even for his time, McDonnell sailed close the the wind.} (4... Nf6 {is a more conservative option.}) (4... c6 {is another more stable way forward.}) 5. Nc3 {White chooses to support e4 over capturing c4.} (5. Bxc4 {is also playable here.}) 5... Nf6 (5... Bb4 {pressuring e4 is another way.}) 6. Bxc4 (6. Bg5 {This is the best post for this Bishop.}) 6... Bc5 (6... Bd6 {, hoping for an eventual look at h2 if e5 is ever vacated.}) 7. Nf3 (7. Bg5 {also works here, just a question of the move order.}) 7... Qe7 {With the Bishop on c5, the Queen must support d5.} 8. Bg5 (8. O-O {is sometimes played before developing the Bishop.}) 8... Bxf2+ {[#]} 9. Kf1 ({If} 9. Kxf2 {the follow up might likely be:} Qc5+ 10. Ke1 Qxc4 11. Nxe5 Qa6 12. Qb3 $17) 9... Bb6 10. Qe2 f4 11. Rd1 Bg4 12. d6 {Interesting pawn sacrifice, freeing d5 for the Knight.} cxd6 13. Nd5 Nxd5 $5 {[#] A brave decision and one that would make this game famous.} ({Most people will probably opt for} 13... Qf8 {followed by} 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxb6 axb6 16. Bd5 Qe7 $15 {[%csl Rb6,Rb7,Rf4,Rf6]}) 14. Bxe7 Ne3+ 15. Ke1 Kxe7 {Black has given up his Queen for two minor pieces. He also has a menacing Knight on e3. His Bishop pair are also well placed. His King is a little vulnerable in the center although the central trio of pawns will keep White at bay for now. It remains to be seen if this was the right way to go.} 16. Qd3 Rd8 17. Rd2 Nc6 18. b3 Ba5 {[%CAl Ra5e1] Pinning the Rook but White wouldn't resolve this tension immediately.} 19. a3 Rac8 20. Rg1 b5 $1 {[#] And here begins a nice little maneuver to give d4 to his Knight with a juicy fork on arrival.} 21. Bxb5 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Nd4 23. Bc4 Nxf3+ {[#] With a follow up fork, giving Black a bigger prize. Here he gets the rest of his return for the earlier Queen sacrifice.} 24. Kf2 Nxd2 25. Rxg7+ Kf6 26. Rf7+ Kg6 27. Rb7 Ndxc4 28. bxc4 Rxc4 {[#] And now that the maneuver that began with 20...b5 has concluded we can see that Black has profited from it by a clean Rook.} 29. Qb1 Bb6 {[%CAl Rb6f2]} 30. Kf3 Rc3 {[%CAl Rc3f3]} 31. Qa2 Nc4+ 32. Kg4 Rg8 {[%CAl Rg8g4]} 33. Rxb6 axb6 34. Kh4 Kf6 {[#] And now the White King having been harried and corralled is trapped on the h-file, with only one square available to him.} 35. Qe2 Rg6 36. Qh5 {The Queen denies the Rook access to the h-file but has taken the King's only flight square. If only Black can put him in check.} Ne3 {[#] And with this White resigns.} (36... Ne3 {[%CAl Re3g2] Forced # was coming soon:} 37. Qe2 Ng2+ 38. Qxg2 Rxg2 39. h3 Rxa3 40. Kh5 Rxh3#) 0-1