We all know that mistakes are flock creatures, but it's still fascinating to watch an unlucky streak of mistakes unfold. If you share that interest, this game holds great entertainment value.
N.N. - Me (Open tournament, 2026)
Caro-Kann, Exchange Variation
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6
Nothing wrong, but Bg4 is a better move. As a rule in the Caro-Kann the Bishop should come out, and then e6. I know this, but I tend to forget. This time I blame it on a long summer without chess.
6. O-O g6 7. Bf4 Bg7 8. c3 O-O 9. Nbd2 Re8
The plan was to play Nd7 and e5, gaining a tempo. More common is Nh5 and Bf5, but I don't like the pawn structure after 9... Bf5 10. Bxf5 gxf5, even though Black has good results from it.
10. Re1 Bg4 (too late with a Knight on d2) 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Nxf3 e6
13. Ne5 Qb6 14. b3 Nh5 15. Bc1 Rac8 16. Bb2 Nf6
White, hoping to clear the long diagonal, has spent a lot of time manoeuvring the Bishop to b2 instead of the straight-forward Qd2 and Bh6. White can still keep the game even with Nf3, but instead:
17. Qf3 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd7 19. Qf4
This move triggers a stampede of mistakes. White must play Qg3 with a slight edge for Black. Now Black can win material: 19... Nxe5 20. Rxe5 Qc7 21. c4 f6 22. Rf5 gxf5 with a clear advantage.
19... Rf8
20. Rad1
Black gets another chance to grab the e-pawn and the exchange: 20... Bxe5 21. Rxe5 Qc7 22. c4 f6 23. cxd5 Nxe5
20... f6
Black passes again, and continues the plans for the f-file.
21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Qd2 Rcf8 23. Rf1
Here I spent much time investigating the line 23... Rxf2 24. Rxf2 Bh6 25. Qxh6 Rxf2 26. Kh1 Rxb2 27. c4 Ne5 28. Qg5 Nxd3 29. Rxd3. It didn't seem to lead anywhere, so I quickly decided to try something else.
23... Bh6
Allowing 24. Qxh6 Rxf2 25. Kh1 and White wins.
24. Qe2
From win to loss in one move. White loses the Queen after 24... Rxf2 25. Rxf2 Rxf2 26. Qxf2 Be3.
24... Bf4
This move not only foregoes the win, it also hands the initiative over to White, who now threatens 25. c4. The rest of the game went:
25. Kh1 Bc7 26. Rd2 Qd6 27. g3 h5 28. c4 Rf3 29. Bxg6 h4 30. Rg1 hxg3 31. Rxg3 Rxg3 32. fxg3 Qxg3 33. Qxe6+ 1-0
This was a perfectly good game (by club level standards) for the first 18 moves, but then followed a burst of fatal mistakes between move 19 and 24. It was not a particularly difficult position either, so what happened here?
One factor is fatigue which often plague evening matches. Another is the confusion when your opponent plays an unexpected move. Our first impulse is "how could I miss that?", when we really should "is that good, or is it a mistake?". More often than not, surprising moves are actually mistakes, as this game demonstrates.
All in all, this game is a good illustration to the Tartakower aphorism "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
