[Event "MCC Rapid"] [Site "Marshall Chess Club"] [Date "2014.04.06"] [Round "3"] [White "King, Alexander B"] [Black "Bokiev, Alan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B00"] [WhiteElo "2307"] [BlackElo "1820"] [Annotator "Alexander B. King"] [PlyCount "71"] 1. e4 {0:55 - my homework from Stripunsky was to "sacrifice something for the initiative," so I came to the game looking for a fight.} e5 {0:53} 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 {This seemed like the perfect opportunity...} 4. Nxf7 $5 {The famous Cochrane Gambit, invented by John Cochrane, a Scottish master and contemporary of Labourdonnais and Saint Amant. The move itself is indeed rather Scottish...} Kxf7 5. d4 {The "main line".} (5. Nc3 {is also possible - see Topalov - Kramnik, Linares 1999 and Molner - Finegold, Saint Louis 2012.}) ({Cochrane himself only ever played} 5. Bc4+ {against his long-time opponent, the Indian player Mahescandra Bannerjee. They played over thirty games in this variation in the 1850s. Mahescandra, after whom the so-called "Indian Defenses" are named, was a master of Indian chess, in which pawns only move one square (hence the Black defenses involving a fianchetto, e.g. the Grunfeld, which he played 60 years before Ernst Grunfeld) and castling was not allowed - perhaps this is why he did not mind defending against the Cochrane Gambit! In 1859 Mahescandra finally discovered the best defense} d5 $1 {but Cochrane correctly responded} 6. Bb3 $1 {maintaining the integrity of his pawns and keeping practical compensation for the piece.} ({Decidedly un-Scottish would be } 6. exd5 $6 Bd6 7. O-O Rf8 8. d4 Kg8 $17)) 5... g6 {A logical defense - Mahescandra would approve.} ({Of course not} 5... Nxe4 $2 6. Qh5+ Ke7 ({or} 6... g6 7. Qd5+) 7. Qe2 {winning the piece back.}) ({Black has a few options but} 5... c5 {looks like the top choice of strong players.} {After} 6. dxc5 { Black may try} d5 $5 {already trying to seize the initiative - see e.g. Vitolinsh - Khalifman, URS-ch 1984.}) 6. Nc3 c6 $6 (6... Kg7 $142) 7. Bd3 ({ White could play in "Cochrane style" here with} 7. Bc4+ d5 8. Bb3 $1 Be6 9. O-O $1 {as} dxe4 $6 10. Bxe6+ Kxe6 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Re1 Kf7 13. Rxe4 $44 {would leave the Black king rather exposed.}) 7... Nbd7 {0:49} 8. O-O Nb6 {Black has chosen a rather passive setup.} 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Qd2 Re8 11. Rae1 {0:52} ({Hal prefers to immediately "storm the barricades" with} 11. f4 {which I rejected due to} Ng4 $6 {missing the simple} 12. h3 $1 {and Black must retreat, wasting two important tempi.}) 11... Kg8 12. h3 $6 {Too slow - I needed to seize the moment!} ({Again} 12. f4 {was called for, and if} Nh5 (12... Ng4 $6 {again} 13. h3 $1) 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. f5 $1 $36 {The trade of DSBs has not slowed White's attack, meanwhile Black remains underdeveloped.}) 12... Nh5 13. Be3 Be6 $17 { White has not succeeded in creating any threats or significantly hindering Black's development.} 14. b3 Bf7 $6 {0:46} ({I was worried about} 14... d5 $1 15. e5 Bb4 {and White has trouble extricating himself from the pin.}) 15. g4 $1 Ng7 16. f4 $1 {After some dallying, I finally start playing with more energy.} Ne6 $6 {0:41} (16... Nd7) 17. f5 $1 Nc7 18. Rf3 $6 {0:47 - again I fail to seize the moment!} ({The obvious followup was} 18. e5 $1 dxe5 19. dxe5 {and both 20.e6 and 20.fg6 are in the air.}) 18... gxf5 {0:34} 19. Ref1 {0:43} f4 $6 (19... Nd7 $142 {trying to prevent a later f5-f6.}) 20. Bxf4 Bg6 21. a4 $6 {0: 31} (21. e5 $1 {was necessary to open lines and remove Black's only kingside defender - the Bg6. I considered this but I'm not sure why I rejected it - also I was starting to burn up some time here. Clearly I don't have a good enough feeling for these kinds of positions yet.}) 21... Ne6 {0:31} 22. Be3 Bg5 ({Even better was} 22... Ng5 $17) 23. a5 Bxe3+ 24. Qxe3 Nd7 25. e5 $6 {0:20 - now it is too late.} Qg5 {0:28} 26. Qf2 dxe5 27. h4 $5 {0:15 - here I resigned myself to trying to win the Bg6 followed by defending some endgame down a pawn (or two). It was the correct decision, as otherwise I am just losing.} Qxg4+ $6 {0:25 - this gives me what I want, although it does not yet spoil Black's advantage.} (27... Qe7 $142 $19 {and White's position is collapsing - the presence of queens is not a threat to Black.}) 28. Rg3 Qf4 $2 {This essentially throws away Black's winning chances.} (28... Qxd4 29. h5 {was what I was hoping for, but after something like} Rf8 30. Qxd4 Rxf1+ 31. Kxf1 exd4 32. Ne2 Ne5 33. hxg6 Rf8+ 34. Kg2 {White would have a long and difficult defense ahead of him, especially if Black opts for} h6 $1 $17) 29. h5 Qxf2+ { 0:22} 30. Rxf2 Nf4 $2 {The speed of Black's collapse is impressive.} ({Best was } 30... exd4 31. Ne4 Nef8 32. hxg6 Nxg6 33. Nf6+ Nxf6 34. Rxf6 Kg7 35. Rd6 { White has activated his pieces and will win at least one pawn back, with a holdable double rook endgame.}) 31. hxg6 Nxg6 $4 {Completing the arc from winning to losing.} ({The only option was} 31... Nxd3 32. gxh7+ Kh8 33. Rxd3 exd4 34. Rxd4 Re7 $14 {and now it is White who has a better, but not necessarily winning endgame.}) 32. Bxg6 {0:12} hxg6 33. Rxg6+ Kh7 34. Rg3 $1 { Black likely missed that I was threatening 35.Rh2# here.} Re6 {0:17 - sadly forced.} 35. Rf7+ Kh6 36. Rxd7 $18 {and the game dragged on for another twenty moves before Black finally resigned. Quite a close shave for me! I need to do some more work on my handling of the initiative...} 1-0 your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard; alternatively your wordpress theme might suppress the html iframe tag from articles or excerpts
Δ
No Responses to “The Cochrane Gambit Lives!”