Lessons From Tegernsee VI

THE following position arose in my round-six game.

I have just played 25...h4!?

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At first glance 25...h4!? may look strange as, after 26.gxh4, the pawn cannot be recaptured.

Not only that but the game continuation, 26.g4?, threatens to fork Black's queen and bishop.

My 1982-rated opponent presumably thought I had blundered, or at least had been careless.

But it rarely pays to regard the opponent as an idiot, and here White should have realised that since, on the surface, ...h4 was senseless, there had to be something more that he was missing.

Indeed, I met g4 with 26...Bxf4!, and White compounded matters by continuing 27.e4.

However, even after the main variation, 27.exf4 Rxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29.Qxe1 Qxd4+, followed by 30...Qxd3, White is the equivalent of almost a rook down, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 

CONCLUSION: David Bronstein pointed out that (I paraphrase) "losing your objective attitude to a position nearly always means ruining your game," and that is the case whether you treat an opponent with contempt or exaggerated respect.