Jim West (USCF 2223) - Asa Hoffmann (USCF 2387), Manhattan Chess Club 1986
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6 3.f4 Qc7 4.Nc3 e5 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.f5 Nf6 7.Nf3 Bc5 8.Bc4 b5 9.Bb3 a5 10.a3 Ng4 11.Qe2 Ba6
If 11...Bf2+, then 12.Kf1 Ba6 13.Nd1 b4 14.Bc4 is adequate for White.
12.Nd1 O-O
Black would like to play 12...Nd7, but 13.Bxf7+ Kxf7 14.Ng5+ followed by 15.Qxg4 wins a pawn for White.
13.h3 Nf6 14.Bg5 Nh5?
A natural move, but a tactical mistake.
15.Nd2!
Prepared to meet 15...Ng3? with 16.Qg4 Nxh1 17.Bf6 g6 18.fxg6 hxg6 19.Qxg6#.
15...Nf4 16.Qg4 Kh8 17.g3 Ng2+ 18.Kf1 f6 19.Kxg2 fxg5 20.h4!?
Objectively correct is 20.Qxg5 winning a pawn, but the game move subjects the black king to a strong attack.
20...gxh4 21.Rxh4 h6 22.Qg6?
But this move is inaccurate. Stronger is 22.Nf3 threatening 23.Ng5.
22...Qd6 23.Nf3 Qxg6 24.fxg6 Be7 25.Rh5 Nd7 26.Ne3
Though material is equal, White has a positional advantage, based on the f5 square.
26...Nc5
Here Black offered a draw.
27.Nxe5 Nxb3 28.cxb3 Bf6 29.Nf7+ Kg8 30.e5 Bd8 31.Nf5 Bc8 32.Rxh6!
Now 32...gxh6 33.N7xh6+ Kh8 34.g7+ wins.
32...Rxf7
Black must do something about 33.Rh8#.
33.Rh8+! Kxh8 34.gxf7, Black resigns.
Besides the obvious queening threat, White is also threatening mate beginning with 35.Rh1+.
The next time I saw Asa, he said that losing this game to me had been the low point of his year! From my standpoint, it may not have been the high point of my year, but it was certainly sweet revenge for my 19-move loss to him at the 1986 U. S. Open.
{This article originally appeared in Atlantic Chess News in 1987}
