Win vs seyyed5318 (621)
| Opening: Scotch Game, Blumenfeld Attack (C45) | Result: 1-0 (Time) | Time Control: 5 min Blitz | Rated |
Game Overview
I have been drilling the Blumenfeld Attack against bots for weeks, and I finally got to spring it in a real game. My opponent walked straight into the famous queen trap, grabbing the b2 pawn with the queen and never getting it back out. From there it was just a matter of cashing in: I won the queen, then the rook, and marched down the back rank chasing the king. I even had a mate in one near the end, which I missed, but my opponent’s clock ran out before it mattered.
The Blumenfeld Attack (Moves 1-6)
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. Nb5
One of the frustrations of playing at my level is that almost nobody follows the main line of the Scotch past about move three, so I rarely get to reach the positions I have been practising. This time my opponent obliged all the way. After 5. Be3 Qf6 I got to play 6. Nb5, the Blumenfeld Attack. The knight eyes c7, where it would fork the king and the rook in the corner.
The Queen Trap (Moves 6-10)
6…Bxe3 7. fxe3 Qxb2
My opponent traded off the dark-squared bishop and then reached out for the b2 pawn with 7…Qxb2. This is the trap. The pawn looks free, but the queen has walked into a cage.
8. N1c3 Kd8 9. Rb1
I developed the knight out to c3 and slid the rook over to b1 to seal the trap. My opponent had to spend a move on 8…Kd8 first to stop the fork on c7, and that gave me the time to hem the queen in. Now it has no safe square to retreat to.
9…Qxc3+ 10. Nxc3
Giving the queen up with 9…Qxc3+ was the best on offer, grabbing a knight with check on the way out. After 10. Nxc3 I was up the queen for a knight and a pawn, and the trap had done its job.
Cashing In (Moves 11-18)
11. Bc4 Ne5 12. Qd5 Be6 13. Qxb7 Nxc4
With the queen in the bag I just had to convert. I developed the bishop to c4, and when the queen reached b7 it was pointed straight at the rook on a8.
14. Qxa8+ Kd7 15. Rb8 Nb6 16. Rd8+ Ke7 17. Re8+ Kf6 18. Qd8+ Kg6
14. Qxa8+ snagged the rook and crashed into the back rank. From there my queen and rook took turns checking, and with no shelter on the back rank the king got chased all the way out to g6.
The Finish (Moves 19-23)
19. O-O h5 20. Rxg8 Rh7
I castled to bring the last rook into the game and snapped off the knight on g8. Here I had a mate in one: 21. Qf6# ends it on the spot, with the king’s own rook on h7 sealing off the escape. I did not see it.
21. Rh8 Nc4 22. Rxh7 Nxe3 23. Rf3
Instead I played 21. Rh8 and kept grinding. It did not matter. A couple of moves later my opponent’s clock ran out in a hopeless position. We were heading for checkmate either way.
Engine Review
The whole game turned on 7…Qxb2. Up to that point the position was roughly balanced. Once the queen came off with 10. Nxc3, Stockfish had me winning by about a rook’s worth, and the extra rook from 14. Qxa8+ put it well out of reach. The one real slip on my side was missing 21. Qf6#: I had a forced mate on the board and played on instead, though the result was never in doubt.
Reflections
What went well:
- Finally getting to play the Blumenfeld Attack in a live game after weeks against the bots, and having it work exactly as advertised.
- Recognising the queen trap when my opponent grabbed on b2, and having the follow-up ready to win the queen and then the rook.
What to work on:
- Spotting forced mates. Missing 21. Qf6# did not cost me anything here, but I would rather be finishing cleanly than leaning on my opponent’s clock.
Full PGN:
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. Nb5 Bxe3 7. fxe3 Qxb2
8. N1c3 Kd8 9. Rb1 Qxc3+ 10. Nxc3 d6 11. Bc4 Ne5 12. Qd5 Be6 13. Qxb7 Nxc4 14.
Qxa8+ Kd7 15. Rb8 Nb6 16. Rd8+ Ke7 17. Re8+ Kf6 18. Qd8+ Kg6 19. O-O h5 20. Rxg8
Rh7 21. Rh8 Nc4 22. Rxh7 Nxe3 23. Rf3 1-0