A mad game

This one's a Saturday Special, from last Sunday's round 5 of the City of Sydney. Robert Hvistendahl could not resist convincing me to publish it. "It's a mad game", he said. Playing the black side, uni student Nick Chernih gets himself in trouble early against Ivan Zirdum. Just as when Ivan was getting ready to deliver the finishing blows, Nick launches a counter-attack. Within a couple of moves, Ivan was suddenly losing.

Nick Chernih in action against Ivan Zirdum

City of Sydney 2006
Zirdum, Ivan
Chernih, Nick
B17

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. N1f3 O-O (9... h6 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 Nd5 12. O-O Qc7) 10. O-O (10. Bd2 Bd7 11. Ne4 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. O-O-O Qc7 14. Nfg5 1-0 Nguyen Dinh Quang-Nguyen Quang Duc/Phu Dong 2004 / EXT 2005) 10... c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. Bf4 Nbd5 13. Be5 Bd6 14. Rfd1 Bxe5 15. Qxe5 Qc7 16. Bxh7+ Nxh7 17. Rxd5 Qxc2 18. Nxh7 (18. Rc5 Qg6 19. Nxh7 Qxh7 20. Rc7) 18... Qxh7 19. Rd4 b6 20. Qg3 Bb7 21. Rh4 Qf5 22. Rg4 Qf6 23. Ne5 Rfd8 24. Rh4 Rd2 25. Ng4 Qxb2 And after this, Black is on top. 26. Rf1 Rc8 27. Qh3 g6 (27... g5!? 28. Rh5 Rc1 29. Rxg5+ Kf8 30. Qh6+ Ke7 31. Ne3 Rxf1+ 32. Nxf1 Rxf2) 28. Qe3 Rc1 29.Nf6+ Kf8 30. Rh8+ Ke7 31. Ng8+ Kd6 32. Qf4+ e5! (32... Kc6 is also adequate 33. Qf3+ (33. Ne7+ Kb5 34. a4+ Ka5) 33... Kc5 34. Qe3+ Kb5 35. Qb3+ Qxb3 36. axb3 Rdd1) 33. Qf6+ Kc5 34. Qe7+ Kb5 0-1