Now I got cold feet. Something like 15.Be7 Qxc3 16.Ke2 Qc2 17.Nd2?? Bg4 drops my queen. Other lines look dubious, too. He always seems to be able to get a check in with his c8 bishop.
Instead I continued:
O-O h6 16.Be7 Qxc3 17.Qxf8 Kh7 18.Qxf7 and I’m “only” a piece and a pawn up. I had to win slowly, by normal non-flashy means.
Somehow I was hoping for something more spectacular, perhaps even involving a double rook sac at a1 and h1.
As poorly as I played this past weekend, I hesitate to provide advice, but 14 Qe8+ looks wrong. 14 00! is better. By checking, you free the QB for Black, so any trades to a superior ending are less strong.
Maybe one of these years I’ll purchase a chess program other than the WinTD pairing program I have on my computer. Until then I’ll continue analyzing the old fashioned way.
I like the idea of deferring Qe8+ and leaving the bishop blocked from g4.
14 … h6 still avoids dropping the piece, albeit with a very cramped position and a pawn down (the c3 pawn can be saved with Qd8+).
What about the following “brilliant” continuations trying to do better than that?
14 Ne5 (attacking f7, covering c4 and threatening Qe8)
14 … Qxc3+ 15 Ke2 Qc2+ 16 Kf1 Qf5 17 Qe8+ Nf8 18 Be7 h6 19 Qxf8+ Kh7 20 Qxf7 (winning a piece)
but black has
16 … h6 17 Qxf7+ Kh7 18 Nxd7 Bxd7 (18 … hg 19 Nf6+ Kh6 20 Qh5#) 19 Qxd7 hg (even pawns and black’s are shattered)
or maybe better yet
18 Bxh6 Kxh6 (there was a reason for the queen to move to c2 and cover g6) 19 Nxd7 Bxd7 20 Qxd7 (pawn up)
These “brilliant” continuations end up in the same pawn-up material situation with black having fewer pieces making the position cramped so let’s back up to
14 Ne5 Qxc3+ 15 Kf1 Qxa1+ 16 Ke2 Qxa2+ (16 … Qxh1 17 Qxf7#) 17 Kf1 Qe6 18 Qd8+ Nf8 19 Be7 h6 20 Qxf8+ Kh7 and black always having the perpetual option with 17 … Qb1+ 18 … Qb2+ and if white plays Kf3 then Nxe5+ followed by Be6 leaves black a rook and knight up.
It seems like the tactical chances looked very attractive but weren’t quite there against proper tactical defense. The position makes me strongly prefer white after 15 O-O b5 16 Qxc6 Rb8 and getting the extra pawn leaves me still favoring 14 Qe8+
Although both of you have come up with improvements for both players, it seems that at least I did not miss a spectacular tactical finish that would have earned this game a place in the hall of fame alongside The Immortal Game and The Evergreen Game.