Failing to Draw

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qe2+ {White tries to prevent the development of the black bishop to a more aggressive square.} Be7 7. dxc5 Nf6 8. h3 {Tatai prevents Bg4, but at the cost of a crucial tempo.} O-O 9. O-O Bxc5 {Initiative ‘restrain the Black bishop’ has failed.} 10. c3 {Simple development seems better.} Re8 11. Qc2 Qd6 {Black is now much better thanks to his coordinated pieces.} 12. Nbd2 {Unfortunately allowing…} Qg3 {Bxh3 is threatened.} 13. Bf5 {White stops the bishop capture, but falls prey to a rook on the seventh.} Re2 14. Nd4 Nxd4 {White resigned here. After the recapture, f2 will be indefensible, and the king will fall. An sample line is} 15. cxd4 Bxd4 16. Bxc8 Bxf2+ 17. Kh1 Be3 {White cannot now defend the g2 pawn, and will be mated.} 0-1

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nxe4 4. Qe2 Qe7 5. Qxe4
d6 6. d4 {White holds the knight. The issue is not whether he can protect it (he can’t) but if he can snag an extra pawn.} f6 7. f4 Nd7 8. Nc3 dxe5 9. Nd5 {White pushes the queen back, tying it to the defense of c7.} Qd6 10. dxe5 fxe5 11. fxe5 Qc6 {The queen daren’t take because of the trade and then Nxc7+, the knight because of 12. Bf4, which would pin the knight every which way.} 12. Bb5 {Black can’t take; 13. Nxc7 would then fork the queen.} Qc5 13. Be3 {And the queen is trapped.} Qxb5 14. Nxc7+ {1-0}

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 {The boring four knights…} 4.Nxe5 {Explodes!} Nxe5 5.d4 Nc6 {Retreating to g6 is better, as here White gets a clamping pawn on d6 to strangle Black with.} 6.d5 Ne5 7.f4 Ng6 8.e5 Ng8 {The Black knights are kicked around.} 9.d6 cxd6 10.exd6 Qf6 11.Nb5 Kd8 {A bit of a mistake. Nxf4 is uncomfortable, but survivable and snatches a pawn for Black.} 12.Be3 Nxf4 {Developing, now, was necessary. White gains a tempo to castle queenside.} 13.Qd2 Ne6 {Black drops back to protect c7 and shore up the king.} 14.O-O-O Qg6 {14…b6! to fianchetto and get some room for the king.} 15.Bd3 Qg4 {White is now monstrously ahead in development, and finishes the game off well.} 16.Qa5+ Ke8 {If 16…b6, 17. Bxb6!} 17.Bf5 {Technically an inaccuracy (17. Rhe1 is simpler and better) but what a stunning move!} Qxg2 18.Bxe6 {White removes the defender of c7, making way for the knight.} fxe6 19.Nc7+ Kf7 20.Qh5+ Qg6 21.Qe5 {21. Rdf1 can win a bit more easily, but at this point, White wins anyway.} Nf6 22.Rdf1 b6 {Black is, suprisingly, helpless.} 23.Rhg1 {The queen is trapped on an open board!} Rb8 24.Rxg6 {1-0}

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 g6 4. Bb2 Bg7 5. Na3 {White embarks on an unusual plan to attack the d4 pawn.} e5 6. Nc2 Bg4
7. e3 {Here, for Black, I like 7…d3 and 8…e4, sealing White in looks attractive, but blunders at least a pawn.} Ne7 8. exd4 exd4 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 {Black has reached a balanced middlegame, the protected, space-gaining d4-pawn compensating for White’s slight development edge.} c6 {To stop Qxb7.} 11. h4 {Anticipating Black castling.} O-O 12. h5 {White continues to pry open the h-file, delaying castling–he doesn’t need to yet!} Re8 13. O-O-O {Only now, with the rook staring his king down, does Euwe castle.} a5 {Black attempts to mount a counterattack.} 14. hxg6 hxg6 15. Qh3 {Simple, brutal, clever attacking.} axb4 {Now, not the check, but White can steal a pawn, with the aim of trading bishops.} 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 {? Black was worse anyway, but now a nice tactic ends the game.} 17. Qh8+ Bxh8 18. Rxh8# 1-0