[Chess] Cute checkmate in a miniature

One nice thing about the new Chess.com layout is that, now, you can see how long people took per move.
A very useful feature.

This was a game against a national master on Chess.com.
The time control was 15min with 10sec increments per move, so I was in for a battle.
I’m playing Black.



1. d4 Nf6


Possibly the most flexible move against 1.d4 (although I guess e6 also comes to mind)
For years, I have only played 1…d5 against 1.d4, but I decided some months ago that it is time to expand my repertoire.
After all, Indian games are the keyways to many fascinating chess positions.

2. c4 e6


Aiming for a Nimzo-Indian, should he continue to follow up with 3.Nc3.
It’s an opening I’m trying to learn, and to get a chance to play it against a NM is something I couldn’t pass up.

But… my opponent had other ideas…

3. g3


White chooses a fianchetto system.
Usually this system is very solid and reliable for White, and hard for Black to get good counterplay against.

3… d5


Since playing Nimzo was thwarted, I transpose back to Queen’s Gambit Declined, an opening that I am more familiar with anyway.

4. Nf3 c5


The Tarrasch Defense!
An opening that was my main choice when facing 1.d4.
I was quite happy to get this position, since if we aren’t going to play Nimzo, we might was well playing something that I’m familiar with.

5. cxd5 exd5


White exchanges his side pawn for my central pawn, which is a positional concession for me.
Not only that, but he can isolate my d-pawn completely by playing dxc5.

Perhaps, it is these positional weaknesses that give this opening a shaky reputation, but let’s see how a NM plays against it.

6. Bg2 Nc6
7. 0-0 Be7
8. dxc5


And there it is.
He waited for me to move the bishop once, and then takes the pawn.
That way, he can make me “waste” a tempo in moving from f8-e7-c5.
I had a feeling that he would do this honestly.
Some White players don’t take on c5, but this guy certainly was not one of them.

8… Bxc5
9. Qc2


Attacking my bishop.

I had to make a choice here.
Qb6 looked good at first, but Nc3 -> Na4 is annoying.
Bb6 may have been fine, but I guess there is something about playing an opponent that you know is stronger than you.

I decided to play it safe and play Be7 to take any sting out of potential Bg5, rather than deal with an annoying pin.

9… Be7
10. Rd1 0-0
11. Nc3


I was quite surprised that he didn’t develop his dark-squared bishop yet.
I was waiting for Bg5 to come every move, but now, he gave me a chance to prevent it permanently.
I also had a choice to develop my light-squared bishop, but I wasn’t quite sure where it would belong best just yet.

After thinking for a minute and a half, I decided that that would be a useful waiting move.

11… h6


Usually, in this Tarrasch defense, the bishop belongs on g5, and exchanging it for a knight on f6 is not uncommon at all.
I’m sure my opponent regretted not taking a timeout to put his bishop on g5.
Now it’s hard to see where the best place for that bishop is.

After thinking for 1 min 46 sec, my opponent placed his bishop on a peculiar square.

12. Be3


A little bit funnily placed, blocking his e-pawn.
But the bishop won’t do much on f4 either, so it’s a tough choice

12… Bg4


I had a choice between here and strengthening my d5 pawn with Be6.

But when you have an isolated central pawn, you have to play actively.
You can’t just defend, defend, defend, and expect good things to come out.
I already made one passive move in Be7 earlier, so I wanted to start taking aggressive stances.

13. Nd4


My opponent moves to blockade my pawn, a typical strategy against an isolated Queen pawn.
I would have been thrilled if he were to exchange knights on c6, since that way, my d-pawn would no longer be isolated…
But of course, he would never do that without concrete gains in return.

13… Qd7


Connecting my rooks and possibly looking for a bishop exchange on h3.
If I could get rid of his fianchetto bishop, this game would become much more easier.

So at this point, the opening stage is over.
Both sides have gotten their pieces out, castled…
It is time for one of the sides to show his hand.
Show what he is going to do, where he is going to attack, etc.

After thinking for 2 and a half minutes, my opponent played a move that shocked the crap out of me.

14. f3?!


It was shocking to see this move come from a NM.
It betrays just about every positional principles in the position.
He’s blocking his bishop, loosening his kingside… all for what?

14… Bh3


A move I considered playing anyway.
It’s always nice when your opponent forces you to play a move that you were going to play anyway.

15.Bxh3 Qxh3


It’s almost unthinkable to give up your fianchetto bishop like this when you do fianchetto your bishop.
But it was here that I realized, perhaps his plan is quite a clever one.

I realized that after I take back the bishop, he can play Qf5, and I can’t avoid trading the Queens.
Without the Queens, the potential dynamic energy if you will, gets reduced and my weak isolate pawns still remains.
Perhaps trying to steer the game towards an endgame where he can win a pawn was his idea?
It wouldn’t be a big advantage for him, but players who play the fianchetto system with white tend to be people who like to grind with small advantage.


16. Nf5


Now this was more interesting than trading Queens.
I was quite happy to see this move.

There are all sorts of removal of the guard tactic floating in the air, but I felt like with his kingside being weakened, if I can somehow get some pieces over in that area, it’s worth punting a pawn or two, because I will be playing for checkmate then.
With this in mind, I want him to trade his knight for my bishop, since then, my knight on c6 will get to move into f5 without losing time.

Playing Rfd8 holds the balance, but I was in the mood for an attack, even though it is a NM who I’m attacking.
After all, when you play a stronger opponent, you want the game to become tactical, not positional.
I already have positional weakness in the form of IQP, so I need to play for tactics.

16… Rad8


Having rooks on f and d file seem a lot more active than d and a file.
I was also sort of baiting him into making that Nxe7 exchange, so I can bring my knight to f5.

17. Nxe7+ Nxe7
18. Bxa7


And he played the line that I wanted to see.
At the cost of a rook pawn, I get to have a Queen and 2 knights toward his king.

Objectively speaking, I have very little compensation for the pawn, as he has plenty of defensive resources and my attack will amount to nothing great.
But practically, when the game gets tactical and there is a lot to calculate or see, even the best can falter… especially if they are the one defending.


18… Nf5


A piece joins the potential attack.

Already, sacrifice ideas on g3 is starting to become bothersome for White.
He is a NM while I’m just a random player online, and he’s up a pawn.
The last thing he wants is allowing a draw by perpetual check.

19. Bf2


He hurriedly brings back his bishop to defend the kingside.
Playing e3 or e4 and clearing the 2nd rank for the Queen to protect was also an option, but his Kingside would be horribly loose.

So at least for now, I cannot contemplate sac’ing on g3, but I’m down a pawn for this attacking chance, so I need to pour everything I have against his king and make tactics show up.

19… Nh5


Bringing one more piece closer to his king.
If I’m crazy enough, double sac’ing on g3 is an idea now, albeit a crazy one.

At first, I made this move, because it seemed logical to bring another piece closer to his king.
THEN, I realized, if he doesn’t do anything, I have a very spectacular looking checkmating attack.

He thought for 2 minutes and 14 seconds here…
It felt like an eternity for me…
It would be like a dream come true, if I can checkmate a NM with black in less than 25 moves in a non-blitz/bullet game.

20. Nxd5?


He failed to see my idea!
It’s cute, but just not a common pattern, and I don’t blame him for missing it.

Knowing that he is still oblivious to the threat gave me confidence, but I took my time to make sure there isn’t anything that I’m missing.
After all, maybe this NM saw something that I didn’t.
In the end, I felt that it's safe to conclude I’m right, and he blundered.

20… Rxd5!


It was important to get rid of this knight for reason that will follow.
It’s still not too late to avoid being mated, but he would have to play a piece down.
But my opponent took back instantly, sealing his fate, and showing that to the last second, he did not see my threat coming.

21. Rxd5??


Now checkmate is unavoidable…
It was very surreal to execute this exotic looking, yet unstoppable checkmating maneuver.

21… Nh4!!


BOOM
How often do you see this?
2 knights side by side on the rim.

Knight on a rim is dim?
Well, not in this case… 2 knights on a rim is checkmate!

I’m threatening mate on g2… and there is not a thing he can do about it other than delaying it with spite checks.
How fitting… exchanging his fianchetto bishop and inviting my Queen to a dangerous h3 square… all came back to haunt him in the end.

Needless to say, my opponent took a long time to digest what just happened on the board.
He must have expected some sacrifice ideas on g3, but totally overlooked my resource of playing around g3.

22. gxh4


He had no choice, but then this is the killer blow.

22… Nf4


Coup de Gras

The fact that his rook is hit isn’t even his biggest problem…
He CAN’T defend g2.
Even that h6 move that I played to keep the bishop away is now preventing his rook from defending g2 vertically.

And now, you see why I had to exchange sac for his knight.
If his knight was still on d5, he can take my knight on f4 or it can even just go to e3 to defend g2.
After thinking for a while, my opponent resigned.


0-1


22 move miniature against a NM…
Exotic checkmating sequence…
I could not have asked for more in a game.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.

Link to the game: https://www.chess.com/live/game/1708155636