Amazing comeback from -14.50!!

The following game was played in 1998 in Limerick at the Irish Open Weekender. The game was published in the Irish Chess Jounral by FM Paul Delaney. Whats so special about the game? Well, at the time i was graded 1325 and was losing by -14.50 points (Fritz Light 6.0) against a near 1800 player, but the game ended in a disaster for my opponent. The quality of the moves are not the greatest, but it is simply a fun position to see. Neighter of us were in time trouble, but somehow i mate him!

The initial position shows black hunting down the white king. Black is up on material and en route to delivering mate. However, see what happens!

So, if your only starting off at chess, hang in there if you can regonise any mating patterns or ideas, it may just pay off!

 NOTE: Click 'move list' for side variations.

p.s. Thought i would post this game because it got published. 

I bet that win felt good!

After 5 Kg5, Black can play ...Kg7, following by ...Rf5.  White will give up the queen and then by mated. Also important, while the Black pawn remains on f4 it prevents the knight from defending from e3.

...Kg7 and ...Rf5 seems like a good idea but white actually has qxg6+ if black plays that here. also, yes, the pawn on f4 prevents the knight defending from e3, but the knight could also block a check given by the black queen on d2. In fact 6.Nd2 is actually better than 6.Ne3

even in the worst of situations one must still be on the look out for mates... could i ask how many people would have resigned as white in the above game ie. after 1...Rbe8.

thanks for the feedback carealestate, and yes the win felt great! i suppose its not that often in over the board chess that a kid with low grade beats an intermediate level player. Definatley one to remember even if it was more of a 'loss for him' than a 'win for me'.  

yes ketchuplover, you cant comeback from -14 unless your opponent slips up a little! 

Yes Duperman, 9.Qe4! very nice move, i know for fact i didnt spot that at the time of the game, nor after but 9.Qf5 still forces the win (thank god!).

Cool reversal of fortunes :-) 

IMHO Black captured the wrong pawn in 5... fxg3+. Instead it should do 5... f3+, deferring capture to 6... fxg2.

Had the Wh Kt interposed as in 6 Ne3 then 6... fxg2 takes it out of reach of the Kt in the first rank; Had the White Queen intervened, White would emerge even weaker.

 This seems like a good idea but click 'move list' to see that 5...fxg3+ 6.Ne3 6...fxg2 loses!! because 7.Qxg6+!

The position isint as straightforward as it first appears eh?!  

Graw81, thanks for the pointer, I see the variations now, and that a fixation on 6...fxg2 would be a disastrous loss of tempo.