My opponent in Game #3 was Gordon T. Everitt of Kiethville, LA who played black. The event was the North American Pacific Zone Master Class section M04 held in 1995-97.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 Nf6 5.e5 Ne4 6.Qe2 f5 7.exf6 d5 8.Nbd2 Qxf6

For the major alternative 8...d3, see Game #1 (Good-Bacon) and Game #2 (Abramson-Good). Black seeks to post his Queen aggressively, recapturing the white pawn at f6 with a view toward saving his King-side for a possible future ....0-0.

9.Nxe4 dxe4 10.Qxe4+ Qe6

Alternatives here for black;

A) Both 10...Be7 and 10....Bd6 allow 11.Bg5 with tempo.

B) But 10...Qe7 looks playable and could transpose into the game after 11.Bd3 Qxe4+ etc.

11.Bd3 dxc3

Here black might try the untested 11...Qxe4 12.Bxe4 dxc3 13.0-0 Bd6 14.Re1 0-0 with a reasonable game.

12.bxc3!?

This is an attempt to improve the older but very playable 12.0-0 Qxe4 13.Bxe4 Bd7 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Re1+ Kf7 16.Ne5+ and now;

A) 16...Kf6 17.Nxc6 bxc6 18.bxc3 with slight pull for white.

B) 16...Kg8 17.Nxc6 cxb2! 18.Bxb2 bxc6 19.Rac1 Rb8=

12...Qxe4+

Here black can delay this exchange with 12....Be7 13.Bf4 Bf6 14.Kd2!? (This is the idea behind white's 12.bxc3!?) Qxd4 15.Bxe4 Bd7 16.Bxc7 Rc8 17.Bg3 with white a P up--analysis by Pietro Cimmino, 1993.

13.Bxe4 Bd7

With the text move black wants to defend the white threat Bxc6, and also has ...0-0-0 in mind. On 13....Bd6 14.0-0 0-0 15.Bd5+ Kh8 with iniative to white who can choose from 16.Rb1, 16.Bxc6 or even 16.Ng5!?

14.Ng5!?

With the Queens off the board I decided to do some things tactically, despite being undeveloped. There are many safer moves here for white, but then black has a pretty free hand to equality. The idea is to prevent 14....0-0-0 and set some nasty problems for black.

14...h6

This seems too timid, but black has a tough choice at this point;

A) 14....0-0-0?! 15.Nf7 Re8 16.Nxh8 Rxe4+ sacrificing the Exchange seems too risky.

B) 14...Ne5 15.Nxh7 0-0-0!? 16.Nxf8 Rdxf8 17.Rb1 and white holds the extra pawn.

C) 14....Bd6 15.Nxh7 0-0-0 and black is the gambiteer with some compensation for the pawn.

15.Bg6+! Ke7

On 15...Kd8? 16.Nf7+ wins.

16.Nh7!

With the threat 17.Ba3+!, but 16.Nf7 Rg8 17.Bf4 is also good.

16...Kd8 17.Nxf8 Rxf8 18.0-0

White has the two strong Bishops, while black will need time to extricate his Queen side.

18...Rf6

Or 18...Ne5 19.Be4 etc.

19.Be4 Bf5 20.Bf3

A tough decision for me. I decided to play to save my hard earned advantage of the 2 Bs, but many other moves are playable, even 20.f3!? Bxe5 21.fxe5 Rxf1 22.Kxf1 Ke7 23.Ke2 etc.

20...Kc8 21.Re1 Kd7

Wasting a tempo through indecision.

22.c4

Somewhat risky, with the threat of 23.Bb2, but also opening the d4 & b4 squares to the black Knight.

22...Re8 23.Bb2 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Rg6

Of course not 24....Rf7? 25.Bd5! and the Bishops rake the King side.

25.h4

25...Na5

Black is getting desperate to find good moves.

26.c5

This prevents the black Rook from using d6 & b6.

26...b6

Black tries to save the b-pawn, but what else is there?

A) 26...Nc4 27.h5! Re6 (27...Rg5? 28.Bc1! traps the Rook) 28.Rxe6 followed by 29.Bxb6 wins.

B) 26....Bg4 27.Be4! Re6 28.Bxg7 etc. with a big advantage.

27.h5 Re6 28.Rd1+

Rather than swap Rooks now, white wants to keep his active Rook and use the "problem black Rook" as a target.

28...Ke7 29.Bxg7 c6

29....bxc5 30.Rd5!

30.g4!

30...Bh7

Nothing works now;

A) 30....Be5 31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.Rd4! Re1 33.Kg2 bxc5 34.Ra4! Nb7 35.Rxa7 wins.

B) 30...Bc2 31.Rd6 etc. is the same as the game.

31.Rd6 Rxd6 32.cxd6+ Kxd6 33.Bxh6

And now with the extra pawn and the sweeping Bishops, the advanced white King-side pawns march to victory. The rest of the game is rather self-explanatory.

33...Bb1 34.a3 c5 35.Bf4+ Kd7 36.g5 c4 37.Bd5 Ke7 38.g6 Kf6 39.Bd2 Bd3 40.Bc3+ Kg5 41.g7 Bh7 42.g8Q+ Bxg8 43.Bxg8 Nb7 44.Bxc4 Kxh5 45.Be5 1-0

PS. For those who would chide me for only showing my victories, please hold your fire until future articles, as the best (or should I say worst) is yet to come. The editor of the HARD CHESS column Mark Morss has personally seen to this matter! Any other comments are certainly welcome at my e-mail address below. "Auf Wiederschreiben"---Der Geezer Gambiteer---Gary Good