KEG: Post II
With two pieces en prise, Black must loss material. But he could have limited the damage and emerged with a Rook for two pieces and at least practical chances after 13...Bxh3 14. dxN BxR 15. KxB. Instead, perhaps thinking he had a compensating attack of some sort [he did not], Simonson blundered with: 13... Ng6??
14. QxR
 click for larger viewSimonson had attacking chances here, but nothing remotely worth the Rook Kashdan had just snatched. 14... Bd6
15. f4
Kashdan could also have played 15. Nd2 or 15. Bc2. With his extra Rook, he only had to avoid an accident in defending against Sinonson's coffee-house attack. 15... Qh4
Throwing the kitchen sink into his desperate attack:  click for larger view16. Qf3
16. Rf2 would also have sufficed.
16... Bxh3
17. Qg3
 click for larger viewInstead of 17. Rf2 (which also wins), Kashdan offered the exchange to be able to trade Queens and reach an winning endgame a piece ahead. But Simonson, hoping for miracles, needed to keep the Queens on the board to have any chance. 17... Qh5
18. Re1
Kashdan could also have played the nasty 18. Bd1 driving the Black Queen to f5 and pretty much stopping Simonson's attack in its tracks. But it turns out there was no need to do so since Simonson played Qf5 anyway (I expected the last gasp attack with 18...Bg4). 18... Qf5
19. Bc2
Cute:
 click for larger view19... QxB
Resigning himself to his fate. 19...Qd7 seemed the only way to retain real attacking chances. Exchanges obviously did not aid Simonson's cause. 20. QxB Bxf4
Simonson was apparently now just going through the motions. 20...b4 or 20...Nxf4 were the only ways to keep any semblance of pressure on White. After 20...Bxf4, the position was:
 click for larger view21. Na3!
Game over. There were other ways to win, but this was surely the fastest. 21... Qa4
22. BxB NxB
23. Qf3
23. Qd7 would have been more brutal, but the text also left Simonson nothing to play on for. 1-0 |