Game of the Week

A quick-and-dirty recap of a quick-and-dirty game:

S.McWhirter–K.Ammann

Route 20 Chess Club

Freeport, Illinois, July 20, 2010

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5?

Standard lines include 4.Nf3, 4.e3 and 4.cxd5 . . .

4...Nbd7

. . . and black's soundest response is 4...e6.

5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qa4 e6 7.Nf3 Bd6 8.Ne5 0-0 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.e3 Bxe5 11.dxe5 Ne4 12.Nxe4 dxe4

Better is 12...Bd7!?, which allows black to trade his lost knight down to a pawn with 13.Qb4 dxe4 14.Qxe4 Bc6.

13.Qxe4 Qb6 14.b3 Bd7 15.Bd3 g6 16.0-0 Rac8 17.Rad1 f5

A fat nothingburger. 17...Bb5!? is better.

18.exf6 Rxf6 19.Qh4 Qd8??

How about getting that rook out of the way with 19...Rf7 -- not that it would have changed the outcome, which is starting to look predestined.

20.Bc4 Qe7

Sadly, my best option here is to give up the exchange in order to blunt Steve's attack: 20...Rxc4 21.bxc4 Rf8 22.Qxd8 Rxd8.

White to move. (Highlight to reveal answer.)

21.Rxd7! Qxd7 22.Qxf6 Re8

23.a4 a6 24.Qd4 Qxd4 25.exd4 Kg7 26.Re1 Kf7 27.f4 h6 28.Re5 Re7 29.d5 Rd7 30.dxe6+ 1-0

My rook is lost, and I can only wriggle.