I'd rather have a Pawn than a finger.
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[Event "September Swiss, Dallas Chess Club"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1981.09.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Probosco"]
[Black "Helsem, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Michael Helsem"]
[BlackElo "1955"]
[ECO "A02"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "1965"]
{ This was in the 3rd round of a tournament. Winning gave me clear first
place. Published in Chess Life and Review, April 1981, p. 35. } 1. f4 { A02:
Bird's Opening } 1... e5 2. fxe5 { I half expected this: on 2. e4! I could have
played d5 for equality--or Fischer's line exf4! } 2... d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5 { I
wanted to try out the line I'd played 8 months earlier & lost miserably with;
having found an improvement on the 10th move. } 5. d4 g4 6. Ng5 { Strangely I'd
just refreshed my memory by playing this line through the 15th move a few
minutes earlier (after having seen my opponent play 1. f4 in a previous
round). } 6... f5 7. e4 h6 8. e5 Be7 9. Nh3 gxh3 10. Qh5+ Kf8 11. Bc4 Rh7 { The
refutation first played in Hromadka-Gilg, 1936. } 12. Qg6 Rg7 13. Bxh6 Nxh6 { Better is 13... Bb4+! wins (I failed to remember the analysis) 14. Ke2 Nxh6
followed by Qg5, or 14. c3 Qh4+. } ( 13... Bb4+ 14. Ke2 ( 14. c3 Qh4+ 15. g3 Qe4+ 16. Kd2 Nxh6 17. Qxh6 Qxd4+ 18. Bd3 Qf2+ 19. Kd1 Be7 20. Rf1 Qb6 21. Qxh3 Kg8 ) 14... Nxh6 15. Qxh6 Qg5 16. Qxg5 Rxg5 17. g3 { Black wins with a large
material advantage. } ) 14. Qxh6 Bb4+ 15. c3 Qg5 16. Qxh3 { Black is on top
after 16. Qxg5 Rxg5 17. cxb4 hxg2 18. Rg1 Nc6 19. Na3 (19. Kd1 is better when
Nxd4 20. Bd5) Nxd4 20. Bd5 c6 21. Rxg2 cxd5 22. Rxg5 Nf3+. } 16... Nc6 17. O-O Nxe5 { Forced almost -- to have back rank threats. } 18. dxe5 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 f4 { Years
later I discovered (in Soltis's 1973 monograph) that all this had already
been played, in Theiler-Ghitescu, Rumania 1956, which now diverges with 19...
Ke7 20. b4. } 20. Qf3 { The simple 20. e6! Ke7 21. Nd2 is solid. Sharper is 20.
Rxf4+! Ke8! (else 21. Qf3 sets up a powerful battering ram) 21. Qf3 (less
accurate is 21. Qh8+ Kd7 22. e6+ (g3!?) Kc6 23. Qe8+ Bd7!) Bh3 22. g3. } 20... Be3 { A demanding and nerve wracking continuation -- I had to find 5 perfect moves
which were the only ones to win. } 21. Na3 Bf5 22. Rae1 Ke7 23. Qxb7 Bb6 24. Qxa8 Rh7 { No defense. If 25. h3 Bxh3. Note the poetic effect of this
recurrence of the Rook posting, from a different square & for offensive
instead of defensive purposes, this time. } 25. Rxf4 Qxf4 26. g3 Qf2 27. Qg2 Qxe1+ 28. Qf1 Be4# { Game over: White is checkmated. } 0-1