Tactical Ability v Opening Knowledge

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 Qe7 {From what follows it appears White has been told to play the Danish Gambit as it leads to sharp and interesting play. Without an idea of what the opening is all about it's like giving a learner driver a Ferrari....} 6.f3 {....and he crashes on the first bend. No experienced Danish Gambiteer would consider such a move. 6.Nc3 The D in the Danish stands for Development.} 6...Qb4+ {One of the Bishops drop off. White resigned.}

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bd3 0-0 6.e4 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Nc6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Nxf6+ Qxf6 {Black is hitting the d-pawn. It's a nothing threat as the pawn is being held by tactics. 11...Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Bxh7+ wins the Queen. So White leaves it and prepares to 0–0–0.} 11.Qd2 Nxd4 {Black never read the previous note. Nxd4 Qxd4 Bxh7+ wins the Queen. Game over. That was quick, I wonder why the game dragged on for so long?} 12.Bxh7+ {White has screwed it up. His combination wins back his pawn and nothing more.} 12...Kxh7 13.Qxd4 Qg6 {Black keeps the Queens on, now he hits the c-pawn and the g-pawn. Taking the g-pawn will be very dodgy. Opening up a file against your castled King always needs a brave heart.} 14.Qh4+ Kg8 15.0-0-0 Qxg2 {Suicide. Now 16.Rhg1 Qxf3 17.Rxg7+ Kxg7 18.Rg1+ mates. After 16.Rg1 Black has to shed his Queen with 16...Qxg1.} 16.Ng5 {This is OK and just as good as 16.Rhg1. It threatens mate and should lead to a simple win.} 16...Re8 17.Rdg1 {This is no good. The wrong Rook. The more natural 17.Rhg1 forces Qc6 then the simple 18.Qh5 and Black is doomed. White will check on f7 then a standard Rook lift to the h-file will mate.} 17...Qd5 18.Qh5 {This wins easily with the Black Queen on c6 but now...} 18...Qf5 {Holding f7 and h7 and that Queen will take some shifting. Despite Black leaving himself open to just a few simple tactical tricks he has escaped not through good play but his through his opponent's inability to tactically finish him off..} 19.Qf3 {How many of groaned when you saw this. White was worried about the pin on his Knight against his undefended Queen. 19. Rg3 with Rf3 ideas was better. You don't swap Queens when you still have chances v a castled position.} 19...Qxf3 20.Nxf3 b6 21.Ne5 f6 22.Ng4 {Threat - Nxf6+ winning the exchange. It is spotted.} 22...Kf8 23.Rd1 e5 24.Ne3 Bb7 25.Rhg1 c5 26.Nf5 Bf3 27.Rd7 g5 28.h4 Rad8 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.hxg5 fxg5 {Black's turn to play for the tricks. 31.Rxg5 allows mate on d1.} 31.Ne3 g4 {White can now snatch the g-pawn but that mate in the last note gave him a fright so he makes a flight square.} 32.c3 Kf7 {Slack play. Again White can play Nxg4 and if Rg8 thinking he is pinning and winning the Knight then Knight takes the e-pawn CHECK! and White wins. Black had to play 32...Ke7 so the Knight on g4 cannot move with a check. It's these simple tricks which are getting missed all the time.} 33.Kc2 {I'll recap the last note 33.Nxg4 Rg8 34.Nxe5+ and wins.} 33...Rg8 34.Nf5 {Last instructive moment. Seeing only your threats. White threatens Nh6+ forking the King and Rook. He has missed....} 34...Be4+ {The Knight is forked instead. White resigned.}

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.Bxc3 0-0 8.Nf3 a6 9.0-0 Ne4 {Black is neglecting development chasing Bishops he is handing White a good position for free.} 10.Bb4 Re8 11.Qc2 {The lone Knight should now fall back to f6. Black's position is not at the critical level. He has fallen behind in development but White is not yet set up for any real tactical play.} 11...b5 {But this is just wrong. Black is about to lose a whole Rook.} 12.Bxb5 {Instead White steals a pawn. What ghost did White see after QxN and QxR. This has all the hallmarks of moving far to quick and not looking at the board properly.} 12...axb5 13.Qxe4 Qd5 14.Qd3 Ba6 15.Rfc1 c6 16.Rc5 Qd8 17.Rh5 {Now things look like they could happen. White has four bits aiming at the Black King. (the b4 Bishop covers a flight square.} 17...g6 18.Ng5 {Clever, but far too clever. Simply retreating the Rook to h3 was OK. Of course Black cannot take the Rook as Qxh7 mates. But what about 18...f5. Then PxR is on so the Rook must move and the g5 Knight is lost.} 18...Qf6 {White's turn to get away with it. That is one all on the blunders score. White now picks up a bonus pawn and starts to create some serious threats.} 19.Nxh7 Qg7 20.Rh4 Nd7 21.e4 Nf6 22.Ng5 Nh5 {The gaps have been plugged White brings in the reserves} 23.Rc1 Rad8 24.e5 {Now some serious hand to hand fighting starts.} 24...Qxe5 {Exploiting the pin on the d-pawn.} 25.Rxh5 {In turn exploiting the fact that the Black Queen has left g7 allowing Qxh7+ if PxR.} 25...Rxd4 26.Qf3 Qf5 27.Qxc6 {Snaffling a pawn attacking two loose pieces.} 27...Red8 {Saving the Rook threatening back rank tricks.} 28.Rh8+ {An ingenious way to stop Black from playing Rd1+} 28...Kxh8 29.Bc3 Kg8 30.Bxd4 Qxg5 31.Be3 Qd5 {Defending the a6 Bishop with a back rank mate threat.} 32.h3 {Black could now restore the material balance with 32...Qxa2 but with those draughty dark squares around the Black King and the White dark squared Bishop still on the board taking the Queen's off and seeking a draw in the opposite coloured Bishop ending was a good practical decision.} 32...Qxc6 33.Rxc6 Bb7 34.Rb6 Bd5 35.b3 Ra8 36.Rxb5 Rxa2 37.Rb8+ Kh7 38.Bd4 {White is not yet finished with the tactics. The threat is Rh8 mate.} 38...Kh6 39.h4 {Again threatening Rh8 mate.} 39...Kh5 40.g3 Kg4 41.Kh2 Rd2 42.Be3 Rd1 {A brilliant game of chess this. Now Black threatens a copy cat Rook and Bishop mate on h1.} 43.Rb4+ Kf5 44.Rf4+ Ke5 {White now cooks up his last trap. 45.g4 giving the White King some running room is met with 45...Rh1+ and Rg1+ a perpetual. White rolls the bones.} 45.f3 Rd3 {Black stands on the trap door with this Rook fork which brings about material equality.} 46.Bb6 {There is nothing quite the feeling when you have set a trap on the board and you are waiting for the player to walk into it. This one must brought a big cheesy grin to White's face. Black takes his eye off the ball for just one move.....Check all Checks.} 46...Rxb3 47.Bc7# {That is checkmate.}