0131 BENKO GAMBIT
LPO-27, 7-29-00, Rd:3, Burlington, NC
Patrick McCartney (1917) Gary Branton (1831)
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 b5 4 cb5 a6 5 b6 d6 6 Nc3 g6 7 e4 Nbd7 8 Nf3 Bg7 9 Be2 0-0 10 a4 Qxb6 11 Nd2 a5 12 Nc4 Qb8 13 0-0 Ba6 14 Na3 Qb4 15 Bxa6 Rxa6 16 Qe2 Qb7 17 Nab5 Rc8 18 f4 c4 19 Be3 Nb6 20 f5 (White weakens the e5 square in return for a major assault on the Black king.) 20...Nfd7 21 fxg6 hxg6 22 Qf2 Rf8 23 Qh4 Nc5 24 Rf3 f6
(Black attempts to build an escape for his king.)25 Bh6! (Move order is crucial. 25.Rh3? would allow 25...Kf7! when 26.Bh6 can be answered by 26...Rh8) 25...Rf7 (Now 25...Kf7? fails to 26.Bxg7.) 26 Rh3 Ra8 27 Nd4 Qd7 (This temporarily stops the threat of 28.Ne6, but now White has another move that will re-establish the threat in a more tactical manner.) 28 Ncb5! e5? (This move loses instantly. 28...Rc8 would show more resistance, but there may not be a defense for Black to save himself at this point.) 29 dxe6 Nxe6 30 Bxg7! Rxg7 (Any other recapture allows mate.) 31 Nxe6 Qxe6 32 Nc7!! Qe5 (Black can't capture the knight because of mate after 32...Rxc7?? 33.Qh8+ Kf7 34.Rh7#.) 33 Nxa8 Qxb2 34 Rf1 Nxa4 35 Qh8+ Kf7 36 Rh7 Qd4+ 37 Kh1 Rxh7 38 Qxh7+ Kf8 39 Qxg6 Ke7 40 Qg7+ Kd8 41 Qf8+ (I felt that White's task would be more difficult if he tried to trade Queens with 41.Qxf6+ Qxf6 42.Rxf6 as the White knight is basically out of the game, and therefore the rook would have to do all the work of stopping the passed pawns.) 41...Kd7 42 Qf7+ Kc6 (42...Kd8 is answered by
43.Rxf6.) 43 Qc7+ Kb5 44 Rb1+ Nb2 45 Qb7+ 1-0(It's mate in 2.) (Notes by McCartney)