Fragments from an Unwritten Short Story

Serafino Dubois – J. F. Versteeven
Rotterdam, April 11, 1865
Bishop’s Opening C24

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. f4 Nxe4 4. d3 Qh4+ 5. g3 Nxg3 6. Nf3 Qh3 7. Bxf7+ Kd8 8. Rg1 Nf5 9. fxe5 Be7 10. Bf4? It’s just improvisation. Sounder was 10. Qe2 Rf8 with unclear game (though a bit easier for Black), Holving – Kallgren, 25th Rilton Cup, Stockholm 1994. 10. ... Bh4+? Versteeven gives a wrong and useless check. The right move was 10. ... Rf8! with excellent play for Black, since the White Bishop could not keep staying on the diagonal h5-e8. 11. Kd2 Rf8. Too late. 12. Bh5 Nd4 13. Nxd4 Rxf4 14. Rxg7 Qxh2+. Black is eager to regain his Pawn and seems to forget that he is still far behind in development on the Queenside. 15. Kc3 Rf8? Black thinks to have solved everything, while in reality he’s falling down into the abyss. He should have played 15. ... c5! with very unclear consequences but good possibilities to save the day.

16. Qf3! A deadly blow to the King. 16. ... Be7. Her Majesty is taboo, for if 16. ... Rxf3 then 17. Rg8+ Ke7 18. Re8 mate. 17. Rf7 Rxf7 18. Qxf7 c6 19. Qe8+ Kc7 20. Qxe7 Qxh5 21. Ne6+ Kb6 22. Qb4+ Ka6 23. Nc5 mate. Source: Sissa, 1865, pp. 118-119.