(86) Schmitt,L (1449) - Becker,A (2050) [B52]
Badger Open 9-4-99 (1.4), 04.09.1999

1.e4 This was my most hideous game in the tournament. I apparently was suffering from a lack of sleep the previous night, caused by an allergy. I failed to wake up for this game, until I finally found a miracle save in the end. 1...c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.d3N You get the idea; I'm playing a very low-rated guy, who isn't going to challenge me in the opening (yet!). I'm beginning to get overconfident and lulled further asleep... [5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nf6 7.Qe2 Nc6 8.Nf3 Qc7 9.Nc3 a6 10.0-0 e6 11.a4 Be7 12.Rd1 0-0 13.h3 Rfd8 14.Bg5 Rac8 15.Rac1 Qa5 16.Be3 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Rxd5 19.Rxd5 Qxd5 Schneider,J-Strebel,H/RH-ch Wallertheim 1994/GER 09/1/2-1/2 (79); 5.b3 Nf6 6.d3 (6.Qe2 g6 7.Bb2 Bg7 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 0-0 10.0-0 Nc6 11.c4 Qg4 12.f3 Qh5 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Nc3 Nd7 15.Rad1 Nc5 16.Qe3 a5 17.Ba3 Ne6 18.f4 c5 19.Kh1 Nd4 20.Bb2 1/2-1/2 Galego,L-Armas,J/Capablanca mem-B 1995/EXP 47 (20)) 6...g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.Bb2 Nc6 9.Qe2 0-0 10.Nbd2 e5 11.Nc4 Nh5 12.Ne3 Ne7 13.Rab1 Nf4 14.Qd1 f5 15.g3 Nh3+ 16.Kg2 f4 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Rf7 19.Ng1 Nxg1 Yandemirov,V-Tunik,G/Minsk 1995/EXP 46/0-1 (30); 5.c3 Nf6 6.d3 Nc6 7.Bg5 e6 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 h6 11.Bh4 Rac8 12.Qe2 Rfd8 13.Rad1 b6 14.h3 Qb7 15.Bg3 Qa6 16.a3 d5 17.Ne5 Qb7 18.Ndf3 Nxe5 19.Bxe5 dxe4 Lopez Ramos,A-Nedobora,M/Candas op 1992/TD 92\09/0-1 (45); 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.0-0 g6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bg7 9.Be3 Nf6 10.h3 0-0 11.f4 Rfd8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.Qf3 d5 14.e5 d4 15.Rad1 Nd5 16.Nxd5 cxd5 17.Rxd4 Qb5 18.b3 Rac8 19.Qd1 Qa5 Nissen,J-Horata,H/VLNBaden 1992/GER 04/1-0 (40)] 5...g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.Ng5 h6 9.Nh3 Nf6 10.f4=/+ [10.Nf4 0-0= (Fritz)] 10...0-0-0 11.a3 e6= [11...Ng4 12.Qd2=/+ ] 12.Rb1 d5+/= [12...Nh5 13.Ne2= ] 13.e5 Nh7 14.b4 cxb4 15.axb4 g5?!+/- [15...f6 16.exf6 Nxf6 17.b5+/= ] 16.b5 Ne7 17.d4 f6 18.Na4 [>=18.Ra1 b6+/- ] 18...b6 19.c3 gxf4 20.exf6 Nxf6 21.Nxf4 Rdf8+/- Entirely overlooking the pin by Ba3. I felt the move was a total waste of time, though there was a saving resource... [>=21...Ne4!?= is worthy of consideration (Fritz).] 22.Ba3 Nfg8+- [22...Ne4!? 23.Qg4 Bf6 24.Qxe6 Bg5 25.Qxd7+ Kxd7 26.Bxe7 Rxf4 27.Bxg5 hxg5 28.Rxf4 gxf4+/= ] 23.Qg4 Nf5? [>=23...Rh7 24.Qxe6 Bh8+- ] 24.Bxf8 Nf6 25.Qe2 [>=25.Bxg7 Nxg4 26.Bxh8 Qh7+- ] 25...Rxf8 26.Qxe6 Ne4 27.Qxd7+ Kxd7 28.Nh5 Ke7 I'm just hoping to survive until some endgame mischief arrives! [Fritz: 28...Bf6 doesn't save the game: 29.Rxf5 Bxd4+ 30.cxd4 Rxf5 31.Ng3 Nxg3 32.hxg3+- ] 29.Nxg7 [>=29.g4 Nxc3 30.Rbe1+ Ne4 31.Rxf5 Rxf5 32.gxf5 Bxd4+ 33.Kg2 Kd6+- ] 29...Nxg7 30.Rxf8 Kxf8 31.Rf1+ Ke7 32.Rf4 Nd6 33.Nb2 Nxb5 Well, I finally began to feel slightly alive. 34.Rf3 Nd6 35.Nd3 Ne6 36.Nb4 Ng5 37.Re3+ Kd7 [37...Nge4 38.Nxd5+ Ke6 39.Nf4+ Kf5 40.Nh5+- ] 38.Nxd5 Nc4 39.Nf6+ Kd6 40.Re8 a5 41.Kf1 a4 42.h4 Nf7 43.Ra8 Na5 This begins the creation of my miracle save, though I don't deserve it! 44.Ne4+ Kd5 45.Nd2 a3 46.Ke2??-+ This is the only move that keeps the white rook from swinging back to a1 in order to prevent a Black Queen from appearing! [>=46.Re8+- ] 46...a2 47.Rxa5+ bxa5 48.Nb3 Kc4 49.Na1 Kxc3 50.d5 Kb2 51.g4 Kxa1 52.g5 hxg5 53.h5 Kb1 0-1