Bushka

Game 4 of a 'best of 19' match - not counting draws - between

Anneke Treep (NL), white, and Christiaan Freeling (NL), black.

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1. f25 again. Aren't there any other openings in Bushka? There are. In fact, you can open with any man. But 1.f25 is, in terms of pace, the fastest type of opening move, and central on top of that. It is also the only opening with a body of theory. Black's path, though very secure in the regular defence, is very small. The current 1. ... eg8 sort of mirrors the only alternative, the previous 1. ... c64.
1. f25eg8
2. f46f0x7Maximum capture precedes. Black could have captured f9x7, which is to be prefered on tactical grounds in many situations. White employs an opening that is usually played in the 'mirror variant' 1.f25 - c64, 2.ge5. In that line there's not a 'hole' on i5 as here on f2. After the exchange, black appears strong on the f-line.
3. ih7cxg7
4. g3x6bc4?Why the questionmark?
5. gf6AAARGH! That's why. In fact both Anneke and I owe you an apology for not spotting obvious tactics. We've picked up Bushka after some two years of not playing and obviously we've both lost our edge. Of course there's a sunny side: you get a chance to see the tactical quagmire Bushka presents. Sudden death is around every corner and the right path is almost religiously narrow. No, I'm not dead yet, just bleeding.
cxe6
6. if5f9x6
7. ixg6f86A man down & unreasonably optimistic.
8. g57e76Threatening to win a man with -e65; e14x-c4d3x, or two men with -f65; hxg6 (phalanxcapture precedes) fg5x, capturing f2, f6 and h5. Unfortunately for black, white has a move to solve these problems simultaneously.
9. g68!exg6
10. g45xad5
11. ed3d54x
12. d23xf75
13. f34xf65x
14. ji6cd4
15. ih6bd5
16. hg6d76
17. g59ef9xOf course I've looked at ef5x, in which case both Anneke and I get to promote a man to king. But mine gets born in a prison.
18. hg5xbc6
19. hg4?ce6!Because of hg4, black can use a threat on a 'T-strike'.
20. gf6xde6xWhite now cannot move to e3 because of de4 (the T-strike: white loses a man either way). This is vital because white is out of tempo. There's a loophole, but it comes with a price tag.
21. dc3c54x
22. gf5de5x
23. gf4cxe4
24. e1x3de4That was the loophole and this is the price tag. Black can break through.
25. ed2ef4
26. e34f43
27. ed4Black cannot promote now: f2 is covered, and on g3 the king would fall on the next move.
de8!To get the phalanx from the g-line. And it isn't a sacrifice either.
28. gf8xfg3 king
29. gf7g37!The man on f7 cannot be defended.
30. d45gi7
31. fe8ig7xAfter which white offers a draw. Promotion on e9 would draw after g75. After an exchange of kings, white is too late, while d56 would lose the man on d2. Promotion on d8 loses the man on d5, g75 again being the key-move. Black accepts gladly.

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[Game 1:  0-1]
[Game 2:  0-1]
[Game 3:  1-0]
[Game 4:  draw]
[Game 5:  draw]
[Game 6:  in progress]