No price is too great for the scalp of the enemy King.
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[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Blom, Johan"]
[Black "Hiarcs 2.1, Master"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "unknown"]
[ECO "E46"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "unknown"]
{ A Christmas eve crush of the silicon beast.|Hiarcs 2.1 master was at a
tournament game setting, meaning 40/120 20/60 all/60. Hiarcs presured me and
I lost my queen, but I had a dangerous passed pawn on the d-file. Was that
enough? My persistence in a bad position gave me the victory over a player
that can beat me 24 out of 25 games. I had to play very well with the pieces
I had left. } 1. d4 { E46: Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein: 4 e3 0-0 5 Ne2 without
early Bd3 } 1... Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Ne2 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf4 dxc4 8. Bxc4 c5 9. O-O cxd4 10. exd4 Nc6 11. d5 Na5 12. Ba2 e5 { A typical computer
move. The computer looks for short-term tactical complications to trip up
its human opponent, but fails to recognize the value of white's new central
passed pawn. Human players are less likely to allow such a unrestrained pawn.
Note how the care and feeding of white's passed pawn becomes the downfall of
the silicon beast. } 13. Nfe2 b6 14. f4 Bc5+ 15. Kh1 Ng4 16. Qe1 Bd6 { To avoid
the pawn fork on b4. } 17. Qg3 h5 18. fxe5 h4 19. Qd3 Nxe5 20. Qe4 h3 21. g3 Bg4 22. Bf4 { White launches an attack, but leads with his Queen. The Queen
gets into trouble and is eventually lost, but at great cost to black. } 22... f5 23. Qd4 Bf3+ 24. Kg1 $2 { White puts his king on the same dark square diagonal as
his queen attracting the skewer by Bc5. First things first. The computer
trades hanging pieces. Objectively, 24. Rxf3 is better giving up the
exchange for active pieces in the center and a passed pawn. } 24... Bxe2 25. Bxe5 Bc5 { Less accurate is 25... Bxf1?! allowing white to avoid the skewer by 26.
Bxd6. } 26. Nxe2 Bxd4+ { Black has given up both his bishops for white's queen.
The d5 passer becomes a monster that must be restrained. } 27. Nxd4 Qd7 28. b4 Nb7 29. d6+ { White advances the passed pawn. } 29... Kh7 30. Be6 { Pawn f5, live
or die! } 30... Qe8 31. Rae1 Qa4 32. Bxf5+ g6 33. Be4 Rxf1+ 34. Rxf1 { Threatening
mate beginning with Rf7+. } 34... Qe8 $4 { The silicon beast is unable to see a
defense against white's multiple threats so it brings its queen back to
attack white's center and stop 35. Rf7+. Had the computer calculated deeper,
then it probably would have found the better line: 34... Re8! 35. Rf7+ Kg8
36. Rg7+ Kf8 for equality. (35. Bc6 Qxa3 36. Rf7+ Kg3 37. Bxe8 Qe3+ 38. Kf1
Qxe5 39. Rxb7 Qxd4 where black's queen can play against white's exposed
king.) } 35. Nf3 { The tide turns decisively in white's favor. White's strong
centralized pieces and passed pawn spell the end for black. } 35... Qc8 36. Nh4 Kh6 37. Nxg6 Nc5 { The silicon beast fights back. } 38. Ne7 { Threatening mate...
how? 39, Rf6+ Kg7 40. Rf4+ Kh6 41. Bf6 and mate is unstoppable. 38. bxc5?!
Qxc5+ 39. Kh1 Rd8 is not as strong, but still winning. } 38... Nxe4 39. Nxc8 Rxc8 40. d7 Rd8 41. Rd1 Ng5 42. Bc7 Ne6 43. Rd6 Kg5 44. Bxd8+ Nxd8 45. b5 Kf5 46. Kf2 Ke5 47. Rc6 $1 { doomsday } 47... Kd5 { 47... Nxc6 48. bxc6 is no better. } 48. Rc8 Ne6 49. d8=Q+ { White wins with a large material advantage. } 1-0