As a fan of Britwanks, it's difficult for me to post something like this

p), but I was curious of an idea I spawned.
As you're all probably aware, Britain and Russia 'fought' their Great Game for influence in Central Asia during the mid 19th Century. Now, the questions I am asking are:
- Is it possible for the Great Game to be more intense?
- Is it possible for Russia to succeed not totally, but enough to cause Britain some issues?
- Can these issues distract Britain from the greater colonial schemes of the 19th Century (without completely taking it out of the game)?
The Great Game is generally considered to have run between the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813 and the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 (stolen from Wiki), during which a lot happened, such as the rapid colonisation of Africa, colonisation of Southeast Asia, the Franco-Prussian War, the ACW, the Austro-Prussian War, the 1848 Revolutions, etc.
As a general statement, how did the Great Game affect these (and other) key events, and how could a more intense Great Game affect them further?