1.e4 e5 {RJ}

I assume that this was Roman's doing.

2.f4 d5 {OS} 3.exd5 exf4 {RJ}

The Modern Variation of the King's Gambit. 3...e4 is the older Falkbeer Counter Gambit which is pretty much in disuse among masters these days. 4.d3 leads to endgames & queenless middlegames which are, in general, slightly favourable to white.  For example - 4...Nf6 (4...Qxd5 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Bxc3 8.Bxc3 Bg4 9.dxe4 Bxe2 10.exd5 Bxf1 11.Kxf1 Nxd5 12.Bxg7 Rg8 13.Re1+) 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.Nf3 Bc5 7.Qe2 with the idea of forcing Qe7 so that Be3 can be played without a nasty Re8 happening.  7...Bf5 (7...Qe7 8.Be3) 8.Nc3 Qe7 9.Be3 Bxe3 (9...Nxc3 10.Bxc5 Nxe2 11.Bxe7 Nxf4 12.Ba3 with the initiative) 10.Qxe3 Nxc3 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.bxc3 Bxc2 (12...Be4 13.Ng5 Bxd5 14.0–0–0 with a development advantage against black's uncastled king) 13.Kd2; 3...c6 is the Nimzovich Counter Gambit which will be mentioned later.

4.Nf3 Bd6 {OS}

In my opinion this line is too passive. In the Modern Variation black's strategic plan is to contest the space in the center, to be able to secure his f4 pawn with his pieces. By leaving white's massive central pawn mass uncontested, black will later have trouble maintaining those piece posts. Tactically this move order is inferior as the knight is superior on f6 as opposed to e7 and by delaying Nf6 black will be vulnerable to a timely Qe2 check.

5.Bc4

A good line.  5.Bb5+ is inferior as 5...c6! forces a transposition back into the better 4...Nf6 lines.; 5.d4 playing for c4 right away is the main alternative and is an equally reasonable choice. 5...Ne7 (5...Nf6 6.Qe2+ +=; 5...c6) 6.c4 Ng6 7.Be2 0–0 8.0–0 b6 9.Nc3 c6 10.dxc6 Nxc6 11.Nb5 Be7 12.d5 Bc5+ 13.Kh1 Nce7 14.Nfd4 a6 15.Nc3 Bd6 16.Ne4 Be5 17.Nf3 Bb8 18.b4± Gallgher-Boulard, Paris 1990; Also reasonable is 5.Nc3 which is a very famous game between Spassky and Bronstein. This game is very similar to the famous game the Canadian player MacDonald lost to Kronstein a few years later.  MacDonald has always been one of my all-time favourite Canadian players. 5...Ne7 6.d4 0–0 7.Bd3 This is the difference between this and the Bc4 line. The B on d3 is more oriented toward direct attack on the king. 7...Nd7 8.0–0 h6 9.Ne4 Nxd5 10.c4 Ne3 11.Bxe3 fxe3 12.c5 Be7 13.Bc2 Re8 14.Qd3 e2 15.Nd6 Nf8 16.Nxf7 exf1Q+ 17.Rxf1 Bf5 18.Qxf5 Qd7 19.Qf4 Bf6 20.N3e5 Qe7 21.Bb3 Bxe5 22.Nxe5+ Kh7 23.Qe4+ 1–0 Spassky-Bronstein, Leningrad 1960.

5...Nf6

5...Ne7 is usually preferable as it avoids that irritating Qe2 check, but it is not so clear that black fairs any better. 6.0–0 0–0 7.d4 Ng6 (7...c6 8.Nc3 transposes to the Nimzovich Counter Gambit normally reached by 1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.ed5 c6 4.Nc3 Bd6 5.Bc4 Ne7 6.d4 0–0. This line is an inferior cousin to the 4...Nf6 Modern. With the knight on Ne7 black is more vulnerable to kingside attack on the h7 and f7 squares.) 8.Nc3 Nd7 9.Ne4 (9.Nb5 Nf6 10.Bb3+=) 9...Nf6 10.Nxd6 Qxd6 11.Ne5 Nxd5 12.Nxg6 hxg6 13.Bxd5 Qxd5 14.Bxf4= S. Nagle-Ariel, World op Philadelphia 1998 (FM Nagle was a student of mine back in Mpls).

6.0–0

A slight inaccuracy.  However, Peter likes to attack and keeping the queens on suits that purpose.  6.Qe2+ A very common theme in the Kings Gambit. If white is not down too much material, the endgames/queenless middlegames are usually quite favourable. 6...Qe7 7.Qxe7+ Kxe7+= is pleasant, comfortable and risk free for white, as with the queens off the board, the threat of black counter attack is significantly diminished and so white can act more boldly with his pawns in the center.

6...0–0 {DS} 7.d4 c6! {OS}

Attempting to contest the center and make some space for black's pieces (fixing the mistake of 4...Bd6).  7...Bg4 8.Nc3 (8.Bb3) 8...Nbd7 9.Bb3 Nb6 10.Qd3+= intending Ne5.; 7...Nbd7 8.Bb3 b5 9.Nc3 a6 10.a4 b4 11.Ne2 Nb6 12.Nxf4 Bb7 13.Ne5 Nfxd5 14.Nfd3 Nd7 15.Qg4 N5f6 16.Qh4 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Ne4 18.Qxd8 Raxd8 19.Be3 a5 20.e6+- Hebden-Boudre, France 1987.

8.Nc3

8.dxc6 Nxc6 leads back to stuff more like the 4...Nf6 line, where black is very dynamic.

8...Bg4 {OS}

Typical, but here it is a mistake. Black has to act quickly before white's pieces start to roam.  8...b5 leads to a forcing sequence where it doesn't appear that white has anything special. 9.Bd3 (9.Bb3 b4 10.Ne2 Ba6 with counterplay) 9...b4 10.Ne4 Nxe4 11.Bxe4 f5 12.Bd3 cxd5 13.c4 bxc3 14.Qb3 Bc7 15.bxc3 Ba6 16.Bxa6 Nxa6 17.Ba3 Rf6?? 18.Be7+- Judith Polgar-A. Wagner-Michel, Novi Sad ol 1990.

9.Qd3!

Thematic, leaving the d1–g4 pin, controlling the e4 square and hungrily leering at the kingside.  9.Qe1 with the idea of Qh4, is another theme in such positions, but not as strong here.

9...b5 {OS}

9...Bc7 10.Ne5!?; 9...Nbd7 10.dxc6 As the pawn recapture in these positions in generally inferior to the more active Nxc6.; 9...cxd5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.Bxd5 Nc6 achieves something similar to as if white had played dxc6, but the difference is that the bishop is very powerful on d5 (and e4).

10.Bb3 b4 {RJ} 11.Ne4 Nxd5 {OS}

11...Bf5 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Qe2 and black's knight on b8 is uncomfortable.

12.Nxd6 Qxd6 {DS} 13.Ne5

13.Ng5! Is much more uncomfortable for black.  13...Qh6 (13...Qg6 14.Qxg6 fxg6 15.Bxf4±; 13...Nf6 14.Bxf4 Qd7 15.Be5+- xh7; 13...g6 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.Bxf4±) 14.Bxd5 cxd5 15.Bxf4±.

13...Bh5? {DS}

This is horribly misplaced.  Black should oppose white's bishop.  13...Be6+=

14.Bxf4 Nxf4 {DS} 15.Rxf4

In general in these positions, once white wins back the f-pawn, black is simply worse. Here it is more so because black's minor pieces are not in the game.

15...Nd7 {OS} 16.Qf5!

Very nice! A very dynamic method to deal with the e5 post made possible by black's misplaced bishop.

16...Nxe5 {DS}

16...Bg6 17.Nxg6 hxg6 (17...Qxg6 18.Qxd7) 18.Bxf7+ Kh8 19.Rh4#; 16...Nf6 17.Raf1 will be torture for black because the problems with f7 will never go away.

17.Qxh5!+-

Leaving white with a bishop with superhero powers.

17...Ng6 {OS} 18.Rg4

18.Re4

18...Rab8 {OS}

And on to b5. An excellent way of bringing the queen rook into the defense.

19.Rf1 Rb5 {OS} 20.Qh3 Rb7 {RJ} 21.Qf3 Re7 {DS} 22.h4 Nh8!? {DS}

Embarrassing yet effective. Black has to defend f7. At first I had assumed that this was a Roman move, but when I came over and asked I found out it was Duncan's!

23.h5

23.Rf4

23...Rd8 {OS} 24.Qf5

24.c3 Alternatively white can start playing on the other side of the board as black is utterly tied down and still has to watch out for heart stopping tactics on f7. 24...bxc3 25.bxc3 Rde8 26.Rf4 For example - 26...Qc7 27.h6 g6 28.Rxf7 Rxf7 29.Qf6+-.

24...g6? {RJ}

In time pressure, Peter makes his first and only serious mistake and misses a crusher.

25.Qg5

25.hxg6! hxg6 (25...Nxg6 26.Bxf7++-) 26.Qg5!+- intending on mating black either with Rh4 & Qh6 or Rf6 & Rg6.

25...Rde8 {OS} 26.Rgf4

26.hxg6! Nxg6 (26...hxg6 27.Rh4+-) 27.Rgf4 Rf8 28.c3 bxc3 29.bxc3 Qc7 30.Rf6 c5 31.Rxg6+ hxg6 32.Qxg6+ Kh8 33.Qh6+ Kg8 34.Rf5+-.

26...Re4 {OS}

Phew! Black will make it to the endgame now.  26...Re1 27.hxg6 hxg6 28.Qf6±.

27.Qf6

27.hxg6 hxg6 28.Qf6 (28.Bxf7+ Nxf7 29.Rxf7 Qxd4+ 30.R1f2 Re1+ 31.Kh2 Qh8+ with counterplay; 28.Rxf7 Nxf7 29.Bxf7+ Kg7 30.Bxe8 Qxd4+ 31.Kh2 Rxe8 unclear) 28...Qxf6 29.Rxf6 R8e7 30.Rd1 Rc7 31.Ba4±.

27...Qxf6 {OS} 28.Rxf6 Kg7{OS} 29.Rxc6± ½–½

Because of the terrible time trouble a draw was agreed. White is still clearly better as if black takes the pawn on d4, Rc7 will be a killer.  All in all a very nicely played game by Peter.