Well done Catnap and with a grading difference of 700 points
this puts you in with a good shout for the Giant Killers Prize.
I have a small team of searchers looking for instructive or comical games
But if you spot something then please don’t hesitate to PM me the details.
So in the absence of anything yet, (most of the games are still in the opening stage.)
I’ll give a couple of mine.
Greenpawn (that’s me) v paradigalla (not me).
I had a look at paradigalla’s games.
I noticed he lost quickly as White against a Phildor…
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6
….in the 2010 championship and as someone (cricketman) had played the Philidor
against me I thought as I may be immersed in opening theory I’ll be digging out my
Phildor book (published sometime in the 1970’s).
I might as well get some double use out of it.
That game Game 9040839 with me playing a black Philidor did not go to plan
and I offered a draw in a ropey position which was accepted.
Without in no way intending to be unkind, perhaps he saw the grade and not the board.
Look boys if a higher rated player offers you a draw then you can bet
your eyes he thinks he is worse. Play on.
Look at what Catnap did. Grades are just numbers.
I looked at paradigalla recent losses.
Game 8977919 played in January 2012, he played the opening pretty
badly against a 2.c3 Sicilian.
So he gets a 2.c3 Sicilian.
I’m thinking if he has booked up it after that loss then he will not be familiar
with the middle game positions. I’m no 1.c3 expert. I prefer the Bb5 lines.
But c3 figures in some Bb5 lines. Anyway, that was the thoughts before the game.
Here is the game.
1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nf3 e6 6. cxd4 d6 {Ah...In the other game he played 6...b6 so he has booked up.} 7. Bc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. exd6 Qxd6 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Ne4 Qc7 {My first real think. Good I have an IQP that means I must attack. I borrow an idea from my Bb5 games.} 12. Bg5 Bd7 13. Bxe7 Ncxe7 14. Rc1 Rac8 {Now at the board and you can see all I want to do is play Ng5 and Queen h5. I tossed the bits about but kept hitting him playing Nf4 which stumps me. He hits my Queen on h5 and has Ne2+} 15. g3 {A move to stop all the Nf4 nonsense. It was met with a pleasant surprise.} 15... Nb6 {Pulling a piece away from the Kingside.} 16. Ne5 Nxc4 {Good. I'm use to playing against the Sicilian without my white squared Bishop.} 17. Rxc4 Bc6 18. Qh5 Qa5 {This is forcing me to play a move I want. I was tempted with the Queen sac 19.Nxc6 Qxh5 20.Nxe7+ but it ends the attack and by now I determined to sac on f6. Anyway 19.Nxc6 Nxc6 is in there.} 19. Rc5 {New attacking options. My Rook can slip along the 5th rank to the Kingside} 19... Qxa2 {Okay that is the Queen right out the game. So here we go.} 20. Nf6+ gxf6 21. Ng4 Kh8 {I had not considered this. I was expecting 21...Be4 after the game paradigalla said he thought about this as well. White gets his piece back and still has an attack. 22.Nxf6+ Kg7 23.Qe5! there are some lovely mates hiding in there.} 22. Nxf6 Kg7 23. Qe5 {When I saw this and all the lovely mates it produces then it just had to be played. But I was bit too quick. But with no Bishop on e4 23.Qg5+ mates in a few moves. (some much for check all checks.)} 23... Rg8 {To give the King running room on f8. So we stop that.} 24. Nd7+ Kh6 25. Qf4+ Kg7 {My opponent resigned here.} 26. Qf6 {Mate. I enjoyed that game. Spent ages after the Knight sac tossng the bits about on a board. Wonderful. Without being unkind is does make me feel good to win against a good player who does not make an opening error. Most of my wins are because my opponet has slipped up in the opening.}
Greenpawn34 - Cricketman RHP 2012
I bowled this lad out in both games 🙂
(Never mind the crap awful jokes, get on with it…..Russ)
As I said earlier, this lad played the Phildor and we reached this position
after the opening moves. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 Be7
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 Be7 {c) 4...B-K2 5 PxP, NxP (5...PxP? 6 Q-Q5) 6 NxN, PxN 7 Q-R5 wins a pawn.} 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qxe5 {It does indeed win a pawn. End of book.} 8... Nf6 9. Bh6 Rg8 10. Nc3 {I've won my pawn now develop.} 10... Qd6 {There is another, trickier option for Black here, see the next game.} 11. Bf4 Qxe5 12. Bxe5 c6 13. O-O-O Be6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. f3 Kf7 {This lets me onto the 7th rank.} 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Rd7+ Kf8 18. Rxb7 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Rg7 20. Rxg7 Kxg7 21. Rd1 Kf6 22. Rd7 {Now me and the lad are blitzing both games. In the other I'm attacking a King. I know what I am doing. Here I am in coast mode.} 22... h5 23. Rc7 Rb8 24. Kd2 {A truly awful move. Here you are mate, have an active Rook. I cannot blitz Rook endings. Who can?} 24... Rb1 25. Rxc6 g5 26. Ra6 h4 27. Rxa7 Rf1 {27...Rg1 would have drawn or won for Black, my sense of danger was totally zilch in this game.} 28. Ke2 Rc1 29. Kd3 Rh1 30. c4 {Round about here in the other game I nearly sent a move that lost a piece, so I stopped blitzing. Lucky. If I had carried on I'm sure I would lost this. I'm still thinking this game is an easy win so I spent a merry few hours working out a nice win in our other game and on the game given above.} 30... Rxh2 31. c5 {This just wins.....} 31... Ke5 {.....Oh No. 32.c6 Kd6 the King can stop the c-pawn his g & h pawns are winning. I hate Rook endings.} 32. Rg7 {At last my Rook is now on the correct side of the board. Everything appears to be under control. I thought I had chucked it} 32... Rxg2 33. c6 Rf2 34. Rf7 {Black resigned. White wins by one tempo. All because I played that stupid 24.Kd2. When you are winning never blitz. I've chucked a few games blitzing to a win. This was very nearly one of them.} 34... h3 35. c7 h2 36. c8=Q h1=Q 37. Qc7+ {Phew! I hate Rook endings.}
Here is that trickier line I mentioned in the notes.
I was looking at my DB today to see if I could find anybody who fell
for the same trick and how the game went.
I found this instructive little game.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bc4 Be7 5. dxe5 Nxe5 6. Nxe5 dxe5 7. Qh5 g6 8. Qxe5 {White has won his pawn.} 8... Nf6 9. Bh6 Rg8 10. Nc3 {As in the previous game. Black tries something different.} 10... Ng4 {Forks Queen and Bishop, but it's OK.} 11. Qf4 {Steps out of the fork and hits f7.} 11... Nxh6 {Grabs the Bishop and stops the attack on f7.} 12. Qxh6 Bg5 {Hello, what is this?} 13. Qxh7 Qd2+ 14. Kf1 {Look at this. What is going on? That stupid book drops you with "7.Qh5 wins a pawn." End of story. One reason never to trust opening books. You will learn more about the opening from this wee game.} 14... Rf8 15. Rd1 Qxc2 16. Qg7 {A nice move with a real gem of an idea behind it.} 16... c6 {To stop Nd5 or Nb5 ideas.} 17. h4 {Getting the h1 Rook into the game. Now where does the Bishop go,} 17... Be7 {He has to stay on the h4-d8 diagonal else White has Rd8+ and Qxf8+} 18. Bb3 {Forcing to Queen to take the b-pawn.} 18... Qxb2 {Now we have two undefended Queens on b2 and g7. Something in the air here.} 19. Nd5 {Yes of course. 19.Nb5 is not the same as Black would have 19...Bf6 as a defensive try. Now if 19...Qxg7 20.Nc7 is mate. There was more to that 17.h4 move forcing the Bishop back to e7 than just getting the Rook into the game.} 19... Ba3 {An imaginative try, it stops the mate and protects the Queen. Alas....} 20. Nc7+ Ke7 21. e5 {.....The threat of Qf6 mate does it. Black resigned. What a charming little game.}
Next time I’ll have more games, your games, I can get my teeth into.
We end with another game by catnap from the 2012 Championship.
He actually won the first two games both with Scholars Mate.
This is the 2nd win.
catnap642 - topgunner RHP 2012
This time the grading difference was only 500+ because after the first win
catnap’s grade went up.
Thanks for the merciless but instructive analysis of our sicilian c3 game. Still have to figure out how to get good counterplay in this opening. Nice attacking play from your part. Next time hopefully a better game (although you could easely have picked a far worse one)!
I'll use it.
I did not make my bad move. See Thread 145016 for an explanation.
Some nice gems here as usual.
Which move of mine was the worst?