Messiah: What a rollercoaster! Mutual blunders and a totally crazy idea on d7!1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 g6??
<This is unforgivable. 5...Qc7, 5...Ne7, 5...d6 (or even 5...d5, but after 6.b3! Black has problems), and maybe 5...a5 are the viable options.>
6.O-O?
<Black's pawn structure is ridiculous, 6.e5 or 6.h4 were better.>
6...Bg7 7.e5
<Interestingly, even more merciless was 7.Be3, slowly beginning to paralyze Black as early as in move 7.>
7...Ne7?
<7...f6 8.Bf4 fxe5 9.Bxe5 Bxe5 10.Nxe5 Nf6 11.Nc4 is uncomfortable, but not absolutely unplayable.>
8.Nc3+- O-O 9.Ne4 d5 10.Nxc5 Nf5 11.d4 Rb8
<Immediate action was required: 11...Nh4 12.Nxh4 Qxh4 13.c3 f5 14.exf6 Rxf6 15.g3 Qh5 16.Qxh5 gxh5 17.Re1 is not nice at all, Black is significantly worse, but not dead lost.>
12.Bg5 Qc7 13.b3
<13.g4!+->
13...Rb6 14.Kh1
<14.g4! Ne7 15.Qd2 finishes off Black without much effort.>
14...a5
<The last hope was something like 14...h6 15.Bc1 g5, but Black's position is still deeply uncomfortable.>
15.Qd2 Ba6 16.Rg1
<White is winning. 16.Rfe1 was also very good.>
16...h6 17.Bf6 Bxf6 18.exf6 Kh7 19.g4! Nd6 20.Rae1
<20.Rg3 and it is immediately curtains.>
20...Bb5 21.Qf4
<21.Rg3 is obviously winning, but the text move is also not that tragic.>
21...Qd8 22.Re3
<Even better was 22.Rg3, with absolutely no hope for Black.>
22...Ne8 23.Nd7!!+-
<Beautiful, but, interestingly, there was an even stronger continuation: 23.g5!+- with all the horrors on the head of Black's king.>
23...Qxd7
<23...Rh8 24.Nfe5 and White is clearly winning.>
24.Ne5 Qd8
<The other possibility was 24...g5!? 25.Rh3 gxf4 26.Nxd7 Nxf6 27.Nxf6+ Kg7 28.g5, but White is obviously winning here.>
25.Nd7??=
<Beautiful, but technically a blunder. 25.Rh3 h5 26.Nd7!! Qxd7 (this capture is mandatory, because of 26...Rh8 27.gxh5 Kg8 28.Rxg6+! fxg6 29.f7+ Kg7 30.h6+ Kh7 31.fxe8=Q Rxe8 32.Qf7+ Kh8 33.Qg7#) 27.Qg5 was necessary and precise, where Black can avoid the checkmate only by giving up huge loads of material.>
25...Qxd7??+-
<Voluntarily paralyzing the army, asking for a devastating attack. Equalish was to reject the sacrificial knight and to offer an exchange sac by 25...Rh8 (I think this is a fairly obvious prophylactic move) 26.Nxb6 Qxb6 27.Rh3 Kg8 28.a4, where the battle is wide open.>
26.Rh3 h5 27.gxh5??=
<White is winning after 27.Qg5, because Black's army is totally paralyzed and cut in half along the f-file, with two totally useless pieces on the b-file. The idea of 27...Bf1 does not work, as 28.gxh5 Bxh3 (or anything) 29.hxg6+ is totally winning. The only temporary relief is 27...e5, but White's future is the brightest I have ever seen after 28.Rgg3+-.>
27...g5!
<Only move! Black opens up the g-file for counterplay.>
28.Qxg5?
<Enabling a nice shot for Black, that was eventually missed, twice. The only move that preserves the equality was 28.Rxg5 - now Bf1 ideas do not work, because of Rhg3, so Black's only option is 28...e5 29.Qg3 Nxf6, and the variation tree is full of perpetuals.>
29...Qd8?
<28...Bf1! ∓ was the only way. 29.Re3 c5! enables the rook to operate along the c-file, achieving a very promising counterplay, based on White's compromised back rank. 29.Rhg3 (or 29.Rh4) Qd8!, and the f-pawn cannot be defended: Black's better pawn structure, supported by the knight, grants the advantage. 29.Rf3 Be2 will likely transpose to the previous variations. 29.Rg2 Bxg2+ 30.Kxg2 Rg8 makes little sense. 29.Rxf1 Rg8 hampers White's attack severely, leaving Black in a simply better position. 29.Rc3 also does not help White, as no other piece can join (yet) to the attack against the c-pawn.>
29.h6= Qxf6??+-
<29...Bf1! would have saved the day. Let's see the variations: 30.Rh5 Be2 31.Rh3 Bf1=, 30.Rf3 enables a Rg8 with equality once again, and 30.Qg7+?? Nxg7 leads nowhere, as either 31.hxg7+ Bxh3, 31.Rxf1 Nf5 32.Rg1 Qxf6, or 31.Rxg7+ Kh8 32.Rf3 Be2 33.Re3 Qxf6 preserves Black's decisive material advantage.>
30.Qg7+!
<White is checkmating! The rest is history.>
Kibitzing
