(580) Hague,B - Coates,K [C37]
NW Eagles v Guildford 2 4NCL Bd 7, 28.01.2001
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 [7.d3 This is the quieter variation, where white aims for positional compensation, and a pawn or two for the piece. It may well be objectively stronger, but it's not nearly as much fun. 7...Bh6 8.Nc3 Ne7 9.Bxf4 Bxf4 10.Qxf4 Qxf4 11.Rxf4 f5 12.exf5© is one sample line.] 7...Qxe5 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.d4
This is the critical position of the double muzio gambit. The older line is 9...Qxd4+ 10.Be3 Qf6 11.Bxf4 Ne7 12.Nc3 Nf5 13.Be5!! which is still very complex, but appears to be winning for white. 9...Qf5 This is currently looking like a pretty good attempt to refute the whole line. 10.Bxf4 [10.g4? Qg6 11.Bxf4 Nf6 12.Be5 d6 13.Bxf6 Bxg4 14.Qg2 Be2-+ 10.g4 is given as good for white in a lot of books, but this line just seems to bust it completely.] 10...Nf6 11.Qe2 Bg7 [11...Qe6 12.Be5 Bg7 13.Nc3 Rf8 14.Nd5 (14.Qd3!?) 14...Qxd5 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Rxf6+ Kxf6 17.Rf1+ Kg6 18.Rxf8© This is one of the critical lines. White can probably draw with best play, but winning is virtually impossible. There is a lot of scope for original anaysis in this line, and a good starting point would be Dr Thomas Stock's site www.thomasstock.com/gambit/; 11...d6!?] 12.Be5 Qxf1+?! This is just a cop-out. Apparently he'd been suprised by Qe2 and was looking for a way to avoid any home preparation. [12...Qg6 13.Nc3 d6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 Bf5© This is the critical line, and it's very unclear. 16.g4 looks best with a huge mess. ] 13.Qxf1 Rf8 14.Qc4+ d5 15.Qxc7+ Kg8 16.Nc3 Now black has to decide how best to develop his queenside. Nbd7 intending a5 and Ra6 looks the most solid. The way black plays it gives back a pawn, but in return gets a more natural development 16...Be6 17.Re1 Nc6 18.Qxb7 Nxe5?! [18...Rac8 19.Qa6 To cover f1 in so as to threaten 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Rxe6 without getting mated by 21...Bxd4+ and 22...Rf1# 19...Bd7 20.Qd3 This was probably the best way for black to play, when white has a slight material advantage, but black has fully mobilised.] 19.dxe5 Ng4 20.Nxd5 Bxe5? [20...Nxe5 21.Nc7 Rab8 22.Qxa7² I've got so many pawns I must be better, but black is getting very active.] 21.Rxe5 Nxe5 22.Ne7+?! [22.Nf6+ This is the first line I considered when looking at the exchange sacrifice, but then I made the mistake of starting to think about the position, and decided that Ne7 looked better 22...Rxf6 23.Qxa8+ Rf8 24.Qe4 Bc4 25.h3+-] 22...Kf7 [22...Kh8? 23.Qe4 Ng6 24.Qd4++- This trap was at least partially why I went into Ne7+. Unfortunately for me, while he missed this he saw a much more subtle way for white to win and so played the text.] 23.Nc8+ Kg6 24.Qe4+?! This was another poor move. I was in a run of poor form at the time, so I decided to get rid of his last two pawns, which more or less guarenteed that I couldn't lose. Qxa8 immediately was much better. 24...Kf6 25.Qxa8 Rxc8 26.Qxa7 Rxc2 27.Qxh7 Rxb2 The problem is that I've let black get his rook to the 7th and take over the initiative. I try wandering around with a few checks, but objectively there's nothing here. 28.Qh4+ Kf5 29.Qh5+ Ke4 30.Qh7+ Bf5 31.Qh4+ Kd5 32.Qd8+ Ke6 33.Qg8+ Kd6 34.h3 Be4 35.Qf8+ If I stop checking black can take twice on g2 and reach a drawn ending with knight against a and h pawns. 1/2-1/2
