King Hunts and Knight Forks

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 {We are going into a Queens Gambit Declined.} 5. Bf4 {Bishop here is OK it avoids some of the equalising paths Black has v 5.Bg5.} 5... O-O 6. e3 b6 {Here 7.cxd4 is the popular choice but Dubov has a plan in mind which involves a pawn sac.} 7. Qc2 Ba6 8. O-O-O {Ignoring the threat and theoretically castling on the wrong side.} 8... dxc4 {There goes the pawn which looks difficult to get back without ceding a weakness.} 9. Ng5 {I was expecting 9.Ne5. White is going for a Kingside attack. Black can keep the pawn.} 9... Nc6 10. a3 {To stop the annoying Nb4 but there is a hole on b3 for Na5 and Nb3 ideas.} 10... g6 {White threatened d5 in an attempt to overload the f6 Knight. This stops Qxh7 tricks.} 11. h4 {Plan A started with 8.0-0-0 in full swing.} 11... Bd6 12. g3 {Inviting 12...Bxg3 13.gxh3 when White will have a g-file v the Black King.} 12... Qe7 13. h5 e5 {Rule of Thumb No.9. Hit a flank attack with central action.} 14. hxg6 {If here 14...exf4 15.g7! with a hit on the f8 Rook and a triple hit on h7.} 14... hxg6 15. Bg2 exf4 16. Bxc6 fxg3 {Black is willing to shed the exchange not to allow White a strong pawns centre.} 17. Kb1 {Removing any gxf2 and Qxe3+ ideas. It's all about not giving your opponent any play.} 17... Rad8 18. f4 Bc8 {Looking to sneak in Bf5} 19. Rde1 {White protects the e3 pawn.} 19... Kg7 {Black is getting ready to challenge the h-file with Rh8. White must act now.} 20. Nd5 {Now the fun starts.} 20... Nxd5 {Best and it should have held Black together.} 21. Rh7+ Kg8 22. Rxf7 Rxf7 {White is down a minor piece, a Rook and a pawn.} 23. Qxg6+ {White has his pawn back.} 23... Kf8 24. Qh6+ Rg7 25. Bxd5 {White has a piece back, now he is just a Rook down.} 25... Ke8 {25....Bf5+ before Ke8 was playable but it invites e3-e4 with severe complications.} 26. Qh5+ Kd7 27. Qh3+ Ke8 28. Qh5+ Kd7 {Is White going to settle for a perpetual...} 29. Be6+ {Black can play here 29...Qxe6 30.Nxe6 Kxe6 White would really struggle to win that.} 29... Kc6 30. Qf3+ Kb5 31. Bxc4+ {The move Black missed when not playing 29...Qxe3. Now 31...Kxc4 32.Qc6+ mates in a few simple moves.} 31... Ka5 32. Qd5+ Bc5 33. b4+ Ka4 {White now plays a very hard to see move OTB. The tempting Qc6+ is no good...yet.} 34. Qg2 {A backward attacking move threatening Qc2+ and mate.} 34... Bxb4 {Black tries to give the King a flight square on a5.} 35. Qc6+ {With the Bishop off c5 this move now works because it allows 37.Qc1+} 35... Kxa3 36. Bb3 {If now 36...Kxb3 then Qc2+ and Qa2 mate as in the game.} 36... Bd7 37. Qc1+ Kxb3 38. Qc2+ Ka3 39. Qa2 {A wonderful modern King Hunt.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 {The Two Week Opening...Four Knights.....a fortnight....gedditt...OK forget it.} 4. Bc4 {Obvious Apple-Pie development but Black can equalise here with 4...Nxe4.} 4... h6 {A wasted move to stop Ng5. 4...Be7 was a better move.} 5. O-O a6 {These h6 followed by a6 within the first few moves is not uncommon in RHP games.} 6. d4 {Agreed. Open it up v an opponent that refuses to develop their pieces.} 6... b5 7. dxe5 {Again the best move to get the best out of Black's poor position.} 7... Ng4 {7.Bd5 with the threat of h3 winning material is good here.} 8. Bxf7+ {OK the violent way. Some good instructive play coming up.} 8... Kxf7 9. h3 {White's h3 carried a lot more clout than Black's 4...h6.} 9... Ngxe5 10. Nxe5+ Nxe5 11. Qd5+ {The point of the Bxf7+ sacrifice.} 11... Kf6 {Now does White understand the object of the game....} 12. f4 {...Yes. It's not about winning undeveloped Rooks, it's about checkmating the King.} 12... Nc4 13. Qf5+ Ke7 14. Nd5+ Kd6 15. Qg6+ Kc5 {The Black King is being chased into the heart of the White Camp} 16. b4+ Kd4 17. c3+ Kd3 18. e5+ Ke2 19. Rf2+ Ke1 20. Be3 {The King was hunted from e8 and mated on e1.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 f5 {Original and risky, it's a King's Gambit a tempo down.} 3. Bc4 {Refraining from 3.Nf3 making it a Latvian Gambit. If now 3...dxe4 4.Qh5+ winning.} 3... Nf6 4. d3 f4 {Trying to keep the position blocked but it is time consuming. 4...Bb4 looks OK.} 5. d4 {This double shunt d2-d3-d4 to undermine the f4 pawn is a good plan.} 5... exd4 6. Qxd4 Qe7 {This is wrong. 6....Nc5 with Ne5 ideas was a way to go.} 7. Bxf4 c6 8. O-O-O b5 9. e5 {We saw this advance in the previous game. It's just as good here.} 9... bxc4 10. exf6 Qxf6 11. Qxc4 Qf7 {Hoping to get the Queens off. I do not think White will oblige.} 12. Nd5 {Correctly taking advantage of Black's undeveloped state.} 12... d6 13. Re1+ Kd8 14. Bg5+ Be7 {Now 15.Bxe7+ and it's 1-0 in a few moves.} 15. Nxe7 {Wow!. White is playing to the gallery. Good news for us.} 15... Qxc4 {At least Black got the White Queen off the board.} 16. Nd5+ {Now the Rook, Knight and Bishop hunt down the Black King.} 16... Kd7 17. Re7+ Kd8 18. Rxg7+ {Not just grabbing material, it is important that this pawn is captured.} 18... Ke8 19. Re7+ {19...Kf8 20.Bh6+ Kg8 21.Nf6 mate.} 19... Kd8 20. Rxa7+ {Keeping the Rook out of the way of the Black King to let the Knight join in.} 20... Ke8 21. Nf6+ {21...Kf8 22,Bh6 mate.} 21... Kd8 22. Ne4+ Ke8 23. Nxd6+ {The King is forced into the mating net on g8.} 23... Kf8 24. Bh6+ Kg8 25. Rg7+ Kf8 26. Rf7+ Kg8 {Only move.} 27. Rf8 {Checkmate.}

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ Qxf6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bd3 {Black sees it. 7...Nxd4 8.Nxd4 Qxd4 9.Bb5+ winning the Black Queen.} 7... Bd7 {Now there is no Bishop check on b5. Well avoided Black.} 8. Bg5 {OOPS! The Black Queen is gone. Black resigned.}