We played the game like a couple of punch drunk boxers. The errors started when my opponent lost a piece in the opening. Then, I could have sacrificed the extra piece for two pawns with an easy win. Instead, my plan of trying to retain the piece backfired. We reached an ending where one of my two remaining pieces would have to give itself up to stop double connected passed pawns, leaving me with insufficient mating material. But my opponent made a careless 63rd move which enabled me to capture both passers. Now I had the difficult bishop and knight versus king endgame.
Maybe it was fatigue that prevented me from winning before the 50-move rule took effect. Or maybe it was because, in more than 37 years of tournament chess, I never had this ending before, except one time when both flags were hanging and I had to claim a draw.
Round Seven: Philidor Counter Gambit
Kenneth Odeh (FIDE 2012) - Jim West (FIDE 2157), Liberty Bell Open 1/18/2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 f5 4.d4 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.f3 h6 7.Nf7 Kxf7 8.fxe4 Qh4+ 9.Kd2 Qf4+ 10.Kc2 Qxe4+ 11.Bd3 Qxg2+ 12.Nd2 e4 13.Qh5+ g6 14.Qxd5+ Be6 15.Qxe4 Qxe4 16.Bxe4 c6
17.Rf1+ Nf6 18.Bg2 Nbd7 19.Nf3 Bd6 20.b3 Kg7 21.c4 Rae8 22.Bb2 Bf5+ 23.Kd1 Bg4 24.h3 Bxf3+ 25.Bxf3 Rhf8 26.Kc2 Kh7 27.Rae1 Rxe1 28.Rxe1 Re8 29.Rxe8 Nxe8 30.c5 Bf8 31.b4 Nef6 32.b5 Nd5 33.a4 N7f6 34.Kb3 Be7 35.Be2 Bd8 36.Bc1 Ba5
37.bxc6 bxc6 38.Ba6 Ne7 39.Bf4 Nfd5 40.Bb8 Nc7 41.Bb7 a6 42.Kc4 g5 43.Ba7 Bd2 44.Bb6 Bf4 45.Ba5 Kg6 46.Bc3 Kf5 47.Kd3 h5 48.Ba5 g4 49.hxg4+ hxg4 50.Bxc7 Bxc7 51.Bxa6 g3 52.Ke3 Kg4 53.Bf1 Nd5+ 54.Ke2 Nc3+ 55.Ke3 Nxa4 56.Bg2 Bf4+ 57.Kd3 Nb2+ 58.Kc2 Nc4 59.Bxc6 g2 60.Bxg2 Ne3+ 61.Kd3 Nxg2 62.Ke4 Bb8
63.d5 Ba7 64.c6 Bb8 65.d6 Bxd6 66.Kd5 Bc7 67.Ke6 Nf4+ 68.Kd7 Nd5 69.Kc8 Kf5 70.Kd7 Ke5 71.Kc8 Kd6 72.Kb7 Nb6 73.Ka7 Kxc6 74.Ka6 Nd7 75.Ka7 Bb6+ 76.Ka8 Bc7
77.Ka7 Nb6 78.Ka6 Nd5 79.Ka7 Bd6 80.Ka8 Nb6+ 81.Ka7 Bc7 82.Ka6 Bb8 83.Ka5 Nd5 84.Ka4 Bc7 85.Kb3 Kc5 86.Kc2 Nf4 87.Kd2 Kd4 88.Ke1 Ke3 89.Kf1 Kf3 90.Ke1 Ba5+ 91.Kf1 Bb6 92.Ke1 Be3 93.Kd1 Nd3 94.Kc2 Ke4 95.Kc3 Ne5 96.Kb4 Kd4 97.Kb5 Kd5 98.Kb4 Bd4 99.Kb5 Bc5 100.Ka4 Kc6
101.Kb3 Kb5 102.Kc2 Kc4 103.Kd2 Kd4 104.Ke2 Ke4 105.Kd2 Kf3 106.Kc3 Ke3 107.Kb3 Kd3 108.Ka4 Kc4 109.Ka5 Nc6+ 110.Ka6 Nd8 111.Ka5 Nf7 112.Ka6 Nd6 113.Ka5 Bd4 114.Ka6 Kd5 115.Ka5 Kc5 116.Ka6 Kc6 117.Ka5 Kc5 118.Ka6 Bc3 119.Ka7 Kc6 120.Kb8 Bd4 121.Ka8 Bb6 122.Kb8 Kb5 123.Ka8 Ka6 124.Kb8 Bd8, draw.
