[Event "Liberty Open"]
[Site "Pasadena Chess Club"]
[Date "2004.06.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tim Thompson (1911)"]
[Black "Gerald Harrison (1808)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[WhiteElo "1911"]
[BlackElo "1808"]
{This game is notable for a very surprising drawing combination that Harrison missed. But it was good enough to appear in Jack Peters's Los Angeles Times chess column as his weekly problem position.}
1. e4 e6 {A rare French Defense from Gerry, who usually plays a Sicilian
Dragon.} 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 {My two Knights variation is not very challenging for
Black, but is a handy way to avoid studying the opening in detail.} 3... Nf6 4.
exd5 exd5 5. d4 Bd6 6. Bb5+ {Intended to provoke the pawn to ocupy c6, which
the Knight would rather have.} 6... c6 7. Qe2+ Qe7 8. Bd3 Qxe2+ 9. Nxe2 Bg4 10.
Ne5 Bxe2 11. Bxe2 Nbd7 12. Bf4 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Ng8 $14 {Advantage White, who has
a lead in development and the two Bishops.} 14. O-O Ne7 15. Bg3 Ng6 16. f4
O-O-O 17. a4 h5 18. Ra3 h4 19. Be1 Nc5 20. b4 Ne4 21. b5 c5 22. c4 f5 23. cxd5
Rxd5 24. Bc4 Rd4 25. Be6+ Kc7 26. Bxf5 Ne7 27. Bg4 Ng6 28. Bf2 $2 Nxf2 29. Rxf2
Rxf4 30. Rxf4 Nxf4 31. Rf3 {I have lost my extra pawn and have to rely on my
passed pawn being faster than his.} 31... g5 32. g3 hxg3 33. hxg3 Ne2+ 34. Kf2
Nd4 35. Rf7+ Kb6 36. Ke3 Re8 37. Ke4 Ka5 38. Rxb7 Kxa4 39. Rxa7+ Kxb5 40. Bd7+
Kb6 41. Bxe8 Kxa7 42. Kd5 Kb6 43. e6 {White should expect to win with his King
being better placed than Black's King.} 43... Nf5 44. Ke5 Ne7 45. Kf6 {45. Kd6
Nf5+ 46. Kd7 c4 47. Bg6. It looks like the King should have gone to d6 instead
of f6. The point is to ignore the g-pawn, cut off the Black King, and push the
advanced d-pawn as quickly as possible. This avoids the unexpected tactics that
occur on move 51.} 45... Nd5+ 46. Kxg5 c4 47. Bg6 Kc5 48. Be4 Ne7 49. Kf6 Kd6
50. Bh7 c3 51. g4 {This position was published by Jack Peters as a problem for
his chess column in the Los Angeles Times, which since then has been sadly
terminated by the Times.} 51... Nd5+ $4 {Missing his chance for a surprise
draw 51... Ng8+ $3 52. Kg7 (52. Bxg8 c2 53. e7 c1=Q 54. e8=Q Qf4+ $11) 52...
Kxe6 53. Kxg8 (53. Bxg8+ Ke5 54. Bh7 Kf4 55. Bf5 c2 56. Bxc2 Kxg4 $11) 53...
Kf6 54. Bf5 Kg5 55. Kg7 c2 56. Bxc2 Kxg4 $11 I saw that he could do this only after I had already moved and was busy trying to find a way to win when he checked on d5 instead, to my relief. But I thought the move was really amazing looking and sent it to Jack to see if he wanted to use it, which he did soon thereafter.} 52. Kf7 Ne7 53. g5 Nd5 54. Bb1
Ne7 55. g6 Nd5 56. g7 Ne7 57. Bc2 Nf5 58. Bxf5 1-0
