Ignorance is risk

Here is another example when closing your eyes and hoping for the best can often be a successful strategy.
Having started to lose the thread of the position around about move 14, I completely missed 16... Qe5 by Black. At first I thought that g3 was forced (giving up the h pawn), but then I thought "how dangerous can the check on h2 be?". The idea was 17.Ne2 Qh2+ 18.Kh1 Qh1+ 19.Ng1 with the threat of g4. My opponent must have thought along similar lines, as he played 17. ... Nd5 and after Ng3 I was fine. In time trouble my opponent then played a couple of dodgy moves and I eventually won the bishop ending.
The only problem was that after 17.Ne2 Qh2 18.Kh1 Be4!! gives Black an overwhelming attack. Fortunately for me, neither of us saw this, as otherwise I would have either surrendered the h pawn, or my opponent would have finished off my king!


Press,Shaun - Beare,Nick [B01]
Rama Memorial (6), 10.03.2020