Why not just give up??

I faced a lot of defeats sunday.

Here's key position from the 30 minute game against 1200 rating player:



It is blacks turn to move and my opponent opens up his defense by 6...c5?? which Rybka thinks makes white win!

I found the correct 7.Bb5+! and my opponent correct Bd7!. But now I missed the mate threat after 8.Qe2!

Black cannot take with pawn ...cxd4?? because both 9.Nd6# and 9.Nf6#.

So 8...Be7 is correct. 9.Nf5 and white has resolved the threat against his knight.

So I played 8.Bxd7!? Qxd7



Here I can either create some threat so that i don't loose my knight or exchange queens. And I didn't found the threat which was: 9.Qe2!

Now black has to defend against the triple attack against king with 10.Nf6!

10...Qxd4 and white is winning: Nd6+! 11.Nxf7 and white has the rook whatever black does.

10....Be7 11.Nb5!

Anyway I played the next best thing 9.Nf3? Qxd1+ 10.Kxd1 Be7?! 11.Re1! Nf6?! 12:Nd6+!? and also black looses his castling rights. 12...Kf8 13.Nxb7 g6?? 14.Bh6+! Kg8



The 10...Be7 prooves to be fatal mistake. But I don't see it! 15.Rxe7

Instead I start to work on manual castling:

15.Ke2?? Bf8??

Rybka thinks I should just take: 16.Bxf8! Kxf8 17.Nxc5 and white is dominating the game with two beautiful pawns on b- and c-files.



16.Bg5!? Kg7!? 17.Kf1 and my manual castle is ready.

17...Nbd7 18.Rad1 Rb8 threatening my knight.



Rybka thinks I am still winning after 19.Nd6 when black can either take with bishop or just threaten bishop with ...h6.

Anyway I just took with bishop Bxf6+ and black should be ok if worse with Nxf6. But my opponent didn't see this but played the horrible 19...Kxf6?? 20.Rxd7+ c4 and I am totally winning.



But wait a minute? I lost the game from this position.

Rybka likes 21.Nd8, 21.Ne5 the most.

21.Nd8! threatens mate in Rxf7#

So black has to exchange his rook for my knight 21....Rxd8 22.Rxd8

21.Ne5 and rook threatens to take on f7 so 21...Be7 22.Nc6 threatening to double rooks and take bishop at the same time Rexe7! so black exchanges knight with rook 22....Rxb7 23.Rxb7 threatening to double rooks and take bishop.

Anyway I play 21.Nd4 which is not loosing by any means. 21...Bb4 22.c3 Bf8 23.Nc6!? Rc8!?



And here i would need some basic understanding how knights operate: 24.Ndb8! and knights support each other beautifully.

I play 24.Nxa7 which is loosing move either. 24...Ra8! and black screwed my knight to pawn.

25.Nd8 looks just fine but I play 25.Na5 Bc5! 26.N7c6 Rhc8?!

27.Re4 and white threatens to check king with Rf4+

27.b4? cxb3! 28.axb3! Bb6 29.Rd6+?! Kg7 30.Re5 and I thought I lost the game and resigned.

The strange thing is even I lost the totally dominating position I am still anything but lost!?

31.Red5 and if bishop takes ...Bxd6 32.Rxd6 black still has two beautiful passed pawns and two knights and rook against two rooks.



Weird resignation. I felt bad about how I handled position and just wanted to give it all up. This tells me as much as a person as chess player. Weird sensation to replay these events afterwards.

Speculation begins

I had some really interesting games against my fellow FICS member last night. I went to sleep early in the evening and woke up far too early and played some games.

The thing is I feel maybe I had prepared slightly more accurate opening repertory and ideas but my opponent is more accurate counting combinations and sees more deeply into the position than me. This made really interesting games when my opponent dares to make speculative maybe even dubious moves and finds way to resolve the problems that persue.

He has added me on his notify list and me him so it seems there is something challenging for both of us in our games together. So as usual when I am sleepy I just observe and I found him against another player on this position:



Knight and bishop have been exchanged and it is black to move. It is not a pattern I recognize from anywhere and some ideas spring to mind on what black should do but it seems they are all refuted. It is most fascinating. This kind of multiplexity is something my fellow member drives for. During some game he just stated he does not want to get rid of his pieces. I am not sure if this always makes him play sound but it sure makes interesting game. So what black should do?

White threatens hxg4 so something has to be done not to double threat 20.hxg4 when white either threatens to take the knight gxf5 or exchange rook for rook and knight ...hxg4 Rxg4 Nxh6 Qxh6+

So. 19...Rxf6! seems correct even it exchanges rook for knight. Now 20.exf6 Qxf6 seems yet still correct.



Black threatens to play g3 when the pull white had in the position is lost. It seems correct would have been: 21.hxg4! hxg4



Now Rybka at depth of 18 gives two suggestions that both seem worth checking out: first: 22.Bxg4!? Ncdx4 23.Bxd4 Nxd4 24.Qxd4 e5 25.Qe3 Bxg4 26.Rxd5 Bf5 when position is simplified and white is simple rook better.



And then the move white on the actual played on move 21: Qf4!? Rxb2 23.Kxb2 Ncxd4 24.Rxd4 Bxd7 25.Bxg4 Qxd4+ 26.Qxd4 Nxd4



White is exchange better.

Anyway 21.Qf4? was played from being in winning position white has to face a bit better position for black.

Fascinating stuff both made some really dubious moves on the next few moves.

This kind of positions are not my turf but really fascinating stuff. And now in the middle of the night I complimented my fellow fics member on good game and we got into these interesting games I am willing to have a look at next posts or so.