One thing that I love about chess is that things can go wrong so quickly. Very quickly. In some cases, a player can lose in as soon as four moves. With cooperation from both sides, even two is possible. But under around twenty is usually considered unusually quickly. Here is an opening trappy variation in which, if Black goes wrong, he can lose in as soon as ten moves. And not even by material loss. By checkmate! In this blog, I examine several games with this motif, the correct responses, and what Red Hot Pawn has done when facing this deceptively tricky, sometimes called drawish, opening.

Movses Movsisyan–Thomas Patton Tulsa Open 2004
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 {This is a little bit of a slack move. Usually, in e4-e5 openings, fianchettoing takes too much time to be worth it...

Here, as a blog for the beginning of 2016, is a selection of fifteen games from 2001-2015. Enjoy.

2001: The eighteenth game ever played! Unfortunately, the system glitches make it nigh-on unviewable.
18(Paul–mwmiller RHP 2001)

2002: A spectacular series of blunders by Black.
mwmiller–RedHotRedSox RHP 2002
1. e4 d6 2. Bf1c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. Bc4d3 Qd8d6 {? There is no reason to bring the queen out so early, except to be attacked.} 5. e5 {5. Nc3 is a bit better, with ideas of Ne4 or Nb5.} Qd6b4 6. c3 {Simple, strengthening, and kicking back the queen.} Qb4b6 {The game now almost looks like a strange French where White has a few extra moves in.} 7. Ng1f3 g5 {?? I can find no explanation for this move. It just blunders a pawn.} 8. Bc1xg5 {8. Nxg5 is a slightly more accurate way to ta...

A brief explanation is due for the following post. Due to some recent incidents in the London Chess Classic in which the rules (though clear, and with no execution problems) were criticized by some players, I thought I’d write a blog about what happened. I, thereafter, remembered that I had given a short presentation about related topics last spring, and since I didn’t have the video, I’d attach the outline I made. I’ll see you at the bottom of the outline with some, perhaps more relevant, recent news.


An explanation of FIDE
There are two levels in the organization of chess. The national chess organization for the US, the USCF, and a broader, worldwide organization, called FIDE. The USCF has many problems, but FIDE sadly, has more.
Why they are corrupt
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Kirsan...

I have a dilemma. You see (and you surely do, because a picture is below) that I have taken out two books from the library.


I forgot about reading them, which I was planning to do. I have recently learned, however, that they are overdue. The choice is: do I give them back immediately and apologize, or do I keep them long enough to read? The second is a viable option, as they have not threatened me with any fines as of yet. Additionally, they are checked out very rarely. I will likely not keep the books from anyone who wants them by delaying: How to Open a Chess Game and Psychology in Chess were checked out last in 2010 and 2011 (or at least this is the most accurate I can get by studying the checkout slips in ...

First off, I apologize, because this blog is about me. I try to keep it about things that my small readership will find instructive and useful. Another reason is that it may help all of you play against me. Here is my reason for breaking my own rules: I played the worst chess I have in a long time, and I feel like I need the catharsis that having this (even sparsely read) soapbox will give me. My second reason is that perhaps, if not using these games to show you how I play good chess, I can ask you to not play like me.

I played four games, starting on 11/20/15, taking a bye in a three-day, five-round tournament. The time control was 90 minutes + a 30 second increment for the first 40 moves, with 60 minutes left to finish the game. This was by far the longest tournament I’d ever pla...

The Candidates Tournament for 2016 has all but been decided. The place will be Moscow. The time: 10-30 March 2016. With such a strong lineup–eh, I should run down the lineup to cut down on Googling.

Viswanathan Anand (2796) qualified by virtue of being last year’s challenger.
Sergey Karjakin (2766) and Peter Svidler (2743) qualified through being the winner and runner-up, respectively, of this year’s World Cup.
Fabiano Caruana (2787) and Hikaru Nakamura (2793) made it to the Tournament by finishing first and second, respectively, in the most recent Grand Prix.
Levon Aronian (2783) was the organiser’s choice.
This leaves two players who are virtually certain to qualify by rating average for 2o15: Veselin Topalov (2803) and Anish Giri (2783). ...

There are several ways to decide on a move in a game of chess. A good chief weapon is calculation, calculation and careful evaluation. The two approaches which are commonly used are pure calculation, evaluating carefully, and going down the ladder of threats. The three methods which I recommend are pure calculation, evaluating carefully, and going down the ladder of threats, and asking a number of questions. These four– are amongst our weapons!

Why the stammering in a supposedly carefully crafted blog post? I don’t know, I didn’t expect a Spanish Inquisition!

Calculation is used to conduct a cursory blunder check, addressed further on. It is also used in tactical positions especially, but is also useful for small positional maneuvers. Here is a very tactical game which I enjoy to ...

Three games today, each with a nice blunder from a strong player. I like seeing this type of game because it reminds and reassures me that these players are beatable. Sometimes when I am paired against a strong player, I am fearful. But watching blunders makes me feel courageous, and sometimes I even do beat them.

Siegbert Tarrasch–Emanuel Lasker World Championship 1908
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.O-O O-O 6.d3 {Both White and Black are content to develop.} d6 7.Bg5 Be6 {Black, however, is not copying White. He merely hopes to get out his pieces.} 8.d4 {8. Nd5!, piling on the pinned knight, was more precise.} exd4 9.Nxd4 h6 10.Bh4 {White retreats. If Tarrasch plays 8. Nxc6?, Lasker replies 8…bxc6 9. Bxc6 hxg5 10. Bxa8 Qxa8, wherein he has an advantage because of his activ...

Greetings, chess fans. I have found a few interesting games which are exactly the opposite of games played between computers. They are played, not only by humans, but with humans as the chess pieces.

One notable, annual, repeated chess game is played at the Marostica Chess Festival, which commemorates a famous chess game played between Rinaldo d'Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara for the hand of a maiden in 1454. A nice duel. Not quite as violent as the gun or sword duels that were more common.

I am uncertain as to the source of the following game. I have obtained it from . It claims to be, in the PGN header, from 1454. However, since I cannot verify this, I believe that it is the game from the 2014 Marostica chess festival. Apologies for the uncertainties. It is, however, a cracking...

Today, I went looking for some games in which a player, presumably aiming for a draw, plays a very drawish opening and is easily defeated.

Stefano Tatai–Viktor Korchnoi Beer Sheva 1978
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 c5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Qe2+ {White tries to prevent the development of the black bishop to a more aggressive square.} Be7 7. dxc5 Nf6 8. h3 {Tatai prevents Bg4, but at the cost of a crucial tempo.} O-O 9. O-O Bxc5 {Initiative ‘restrain the Black bishop’ has failed.} 10. c3 {Simple development seems better.} Re8 11. Qc2 Qd6 {Black is now much better thanks to his coordinated pieces.} 12. Nbd2 {Unfortunately allowing…} Qg3 {Bxh3 is threatened.} 13. Bf5 {White stops the bishop capture, but falls prey to a rook on the seventh.} Re2 14. Nd4 Nxd4 {White resigned here. After ...