An amazingly complex game

This game was very complex and my opponent was able to really cramp my position.  So much so that he might have lost a won game had he chosen (in my opinion...a more obvious path).  However, he chose super complications and I was able to make a really fantastic comeback (in my opinion).

Here is the game.  An I did an analysis to explain my thoughts and ideas in this win.

Analysis Below the Game:

1. d4 c5 What can I say. I'm a gambiteer. I don't even know the Benoni Gambit, but I love the action a gambit provides.  

2. d5 Doesn't take the gambit  

2... Nf6 3. c4 I'm used to this move when I play against the queens gambit. So I play what I know  

3... e6

4. Nc3 exd5

5. cxd5 d6

6. h3 I found 21 master games that played this move. White wins 57% of the time. I then just played what I thought was a logical developing move..and it got me into trouble!  

6... Bf5

7. e4 Qe7

8. Qa4+ Nbd7

9. Bd3 You can already see the damage that bishop move did. It always amazes me in chess how one seemingly logical move can cause such problems.  

9... O-O-O I made this move because even if he takes the pawn I will have the knigh to b8 and good counterplay. Also I didn't feel like I would have enough time to develop my dark bishop to castle kingside.  

10. Bg5 More pressure! I was surprised when he didn't take the pawn, but I think this move is also strong. Potential destruction to my kingside pawn stucture should he exchange and also getting ready to castle queenside. 

  10... Kb8 No reason to leave the pawn hanging, but I'm so cramped and I feel like the noose is tightening.  

11. O-O-O Bg6 Although I didn't lose the bishop I'm leery of the knight queen combo. And my pieces can't move at all.  

12. Bf4 I thought the knight pin was fine and he should have just continued development instead of creating another pin. I think this is a ?!  

12... Nb6 Trying to get some sort of counter play going. Look at that worthles bishop and my rook look like they are on vacation.  

13. Qa5 Strong move. He is looking to take my C pawn and utilize the pin of the d pawn to my king. I come up with a creative way to exploit his weak back rank.  

13... Nxe4 This move I think deserves an !?. I protect the c pawn from attack and force a trade. If he tries to pin the knight I play Nxf2 and win pawn bishop and rook for queen and protect that vunerable c pawn  

14. Bxe4 Bxe4

15. Re1 This is what I expected to happen. I don't know if he saw the combination I saw, but he played it correctly in my opinion, because that knight would have become a monster.  

15... f5 ! If he goes for the pin it created a very vunerable back rank. This move opens up the h4 square and will give me a valuable pin release  

16. f3 Nc4 Again trying to exploit the fact that his back rank is weak. I planned on him playing to a white square. Either b5 or a4 and I was going to respond with a6 or Bc2 to force the exchange of queens. But he finally decided to play his original plan of working on that pinned d pawn.  

17. Qxc5 Then I had the fantastic move I had planned.  

17... Qh4 ! Notice. If he plays g3 then I take bishop with queen. He takes queen and then I take queen on c4.  

18. Nge2 Ne5 Going for the royal fork on d3 and releasing the pinned d pawn. This is a complex manuver. He cannot take the bishop because his queen is now hanging. He is forced here to move his queen or take the knight. If he takes the knight he still cannot take the bishop because of the discovered attack on his queen by my dark bishop.  

19. Bxe5 dxe5 20. Qc4 Hard to believe that bishop has survived with all this manuvering, but he hasn't been in any real danger...The tables are starting to turn. My rooks are poised to be activated powerfully and my queen and bishop are very strong together here  

20... Qg5+ Releasing the pin and bishop keep the monarch in the center instead of safe behind the b pawn  

21. Kd1 Rc8 He finds a nice inbetween move here.  

22. Nxe4 Qxg2 And I do as well  

23. Qd3 fxe4

24. fxe4 Bc5 Finally my last piece gets developed and protects the g file from any rook activity. My king is safe and I'm in control of the game here with his king in the center  

25. a3 Rhf8 Bringing my rook into the attack on the queen  

26. b4 Rf3 27. Qd2 Rxa3 ! I sacrifice the bishop for three pawns and because his rooks can't move into the game and his knight has to protect the back rank I think it deserves an exclam  

28. bxc5 Qxe4 His pieces can't move. Any move leads to disaster or mate. 

29. Nc1 Now a simple use of triangulation  

29... Qf3+

30. Qe2 Qxd5+

31. Qd2 He resigns here. After queen checks again on f3 he loses queen or gets mated.  

Any other analysis would be appreciated

very nicely played, interesting game to observe.  Seems like he his(her) opening was a little agressive and you took the tempo from every move on out.  Interesting how you both chose to castle queenside.

Nice game!

you see way too many moves ahead Immortal. That is the complexity of something else.

I don't think I see any further than most people.  I just think I do find strong lines to focus my attention on instead of off shoot variants that don't deserve attention.  Also you must remember that this was turned based, so I had a lot of time to think and look at a position.

...brain exploding... too many possiblitlies... cannot compute... cannot compute... *sizzlefrysmoke* .... arrrrrgghhhh....

I hated the first 0-0-0 and I hated the second one too! Some of your early moves, as you pointed out, were pretty dicey (Bf5? Logical development? I think the trouble it got you in wasn't hard to forsee) ... but after that you played inspired. A great comeback, a superb win. I'm sure there are improvements, but I'd be using an engine to find em -- my chess brain has taken the day off it seems.

Bottom line: Really impressive tactical play Immortal. Bravo.

Do you know the game at right? It sets the standard for complicated chess:

Well played game by immortal, I think he may of given me several opportunities that I did not take advantage of.  A few thoughts I had on several moves. Would like to say it was a fun match.

#9 Qx a7  I know this helps the opponent in the middlle it does put pressure on both kings I wonder if he could defend this move well enough in the long run? 

#17 Q-a3 instead of Qx c5  Not to be greedy and not take the pawn, hopefully getting the bishop in the middle later. I made this move too quickly. 

 #24   Qx e4   After all the exchanges I thought it would be better to have the rear pawn support the lead pawn. But by taking the pawn with the queen it would force him to defend the pawn  maybe allowing me to get better position. It might of helped the endgame??  

But I think the truth to the matter Immortal had gained good position by this time so I am not sure if that would help.

I'm not really sure you can even call 1. d4 c5 a gambit, since you get the pawn back right away (2. dxc5 Qa5+).

I feel like 9...O-O-O was a mistake, I think white could have capitalized better with 10. Nb5 looking to Na7 then Nc6, forking your queen and rook.

Yes that would have been nice to play 10.  Nb5 except for it was pinned to the king :) ...So that line of course wouldn't be possible. 

I understand why you feel O-O-O was a mistake, but my pieces where so hemmed in and there was no better alternative I could see.  What else is there really?  When you look at the board it is the only move which doesn't make my position worse and helps the mobility of my pieces.

Oh and I didn't name it a gambit...it is just named the Benko gambit, so I suppose it is.

You didn't play the Benko however. The Benko is 1. d4 Nf3 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 where black offers a pawn for the initiative, open files for his rooks and a lead in development.

Excuse me...my first post called it correctly...Benoni Gambit...just was writing fast.  Look back at the first post.  I do know what the Benko Gambit is.  You are correct this is not a Benko, but again in my initial analysis I call it correctly.

I meant 10. Nb5 looks good for white, not 9..Nb5 for you.  The white knight isn't pinned, and 10. Nb5 is legal, although I haven't spent too much time analyzing it to see if it is playable.

You are also right about the Benoni Gambit (I was wrong).  It just doesn't make sense to me personally to call it a gambit if you get the pawn back right away, but it looks like there are other lines in Game Explorer besides playing Qa5+ to retake the pawn.

Oh I'm sorry I thought you were talking about a move for black and and were meaning Nb6.

So you think this up above is correct, and you play a6 as the response black gives.

The main problem with your attacking plan is the lack of pieces developed to add support to the attack.  Yes my queenside will get destroyed, but the attack will not have enough fuel to do anything worth while.

Without even needing to calculate it is easy to see that most of whites pieces are still on the back rank.  I know for a fact that once I move my d knight my queen will defend the king quite well.

See example below going of your move 10.

After looking at it some more I agree, white doesn't have enough to finish the attack.  10. Qxa7 looks probably better than 10. Nb5.

On a side note, I do really enjoy the attacking type of games you post immortal.  This is the style that I strive to play, and I'm also always looking for new gambits.  My record against 1.d4 is poor historically, and I've tried out the regular Benoni before, but I think I'll try out this line sometime in the near future.