You will see all the one and two move skull crushed games but I have to
keep them in to get the accurate scores.
Have fun and if you find something we might all enjoy. (I’m way past the
stage where I can look at every game.) Then post it in the thread link below.
I have some set searches that I do, sometimes I just pluck games at pure random
and go over them. I usually find something I can use, it’s also a good test of
my tactical eye spotting shots and missed chances.
So have fun. I am.
And thanks to Maitkenhead for supplying the link.
Over the past few I’ve been showing the weaker lads how a good player
treats their game against them.
Basically the strong players does nothing really flash.
They develop their pieces and wait for the weaker player to do something.
Usually ‘something’ involves a pawn move.
They then start pulling tactical tricks out of a top hat leaving the weaker
player to ask: “How do they do that?”
Black sets up the solid Hippopotamus Defence. White inflicts a slight
weakness in the body of Black’s position (11.Bb5+ ).
Black should have castled before worrying about this slight defect.
Instead he went for a pawn break to rid himself of a weak pawn.
Enter the magician’s pretty assistant carrying his top hat.
1. d4 d6 2. e4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. c3 Nd7 5. Bd3 e6 6. O-O Ne7 7. a4 a5 8. Be3 b6 9. Nbd2 Bb7 {Black has set up the Hippo. White passes and then starts probing for an error.} 10. h3 Nf6 11. Bb5+ c6 12. Bd3 {The check looked pointless then you see the squares b6 & d6 have been weakened. Black can only see the pawns on these squares and tries to swap or cover them.} 12... e5 {The move the stronger player was waiting for. 12....0-0 was far better.} 13. dxe5 dxe5 {The weak d-pawn has gone....But not the weak square.} 14. Nc4 {This is sham attack on b6 is designed to take your eyes off what the magician is really up to. If Black had seen what follows then he may have tried 14...Nc8 holding b6 and covering d6,} 14... c5 {Looks OK. It blocks the attack on b6 and has a return hit on the e-pawn. But...} 15. Nd6+ {Where did that come from? It’s all done with a flick of the wrist. Black cannot take the Knight, 15...Qxd6 16.Bb5+ wins the Queen,} 15... Kf8 16. Nxb7 Qd7 17. Nxe5 {White makes no attempt to sell the life of the trapped Knight for two pawns (17.Nxc5). Instead he swaps the b7 Knight for the Black King.} 17... Qxb7 18. Qb3 {Threat - Qxf7 mate.} 18... Neg8 19. Bxc5+ {More tricks. The b6 pawn is pinned to the unprotected Queen.} 19... Ke8 20. Bb5+ Kd8 21. Nxf7+ Kc7 22. Bd6+ Kc8 23. Qc4+ {Black has seen enough and resigned. “How do they do that?”}
In this next one White is not actually in the novice class, he has been around
the block, he has an idea of what is what.
His opponent Tigerking is one whose games I always enjoying playing over.
He plays interesting chess. Often seat of the pants stuff.
In the following game it looks as if can swing both ways. White perhaps never
gave the game the time is needed.
(the dangers of playing many games at once and very possibly choosing all the
moves in all the games in one sitting. That is asking for trouble.)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 {Playable, I've always considered e3 systems v the King's Indian as a waste of a tempo. (but that's just me.) White usually has to play a later e3-e4.} 4... O-O 5. g3 d6 6. Bg2 c6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Nc3 e5 9. Re1 Ne8 {Black goes for the tried and trusted KID plan of f5.} 10. d5 f5 11. e4 {See my note after White’s move 4.} 11... cxd5 {I play the KID and have had the Black set up a few times. This move is always critical, take on d5, play c5, ignore it....White has succeeded in getting Black to make decisions. This is what you want. Let him prove he is the better player.} 12. Bg5 {I'm not fond of this though I see what White is planning. 12.Qxd5+ Kh8 and 13.Ng5. It's not fatal for Black, it is not deep but Black has to do something about it. I'm always up for cheap shots just so long as it does not weaken my position.} 12... Nef6 13. exf5 d4 {That pawn is big. The game is going to revolve around the next few moves.} 14. Nd5 {The right idea. Putting the squeeze on the pinned piece. 14.Ne4 looks good, it does the same job and hits d6 and is not in danger of getting exchanged by a Knight on b6. See the next note.} 14... gxf5 15. Nh4 Nb6 {This is the Knight on b6 I mentioned in my previous note. I don’t like Knights on b6.} 16. b3 {White holds the c-pawn but later plays Rc1. White is not going to play Nxb6 and Black cannot live with that Knight on d5 so Rc1 now because you know the c-pawn will be going to d5 and White has the c-file.} 16... e4 {Most likely a surprise to White. It was to me till I saw White cannot take the d-pawn due to 17.Qxd4 Nbxd5 18. cxd5 h6 and it all goes crazy with the complications appearing to favour Black.} 17. Rc1 {See the note after move 16. An interesting last few moves. Hindsight dictates 17.Nxf6 not allowing the b6 Knight to trade itself on d5.} 17... Nbxd5 18. cxd5 d3 {There are many paths this game could taken, I'm wondering if TigerKing saw the idea for his next move round about here. The pawns look terrifying but the centre can be attacked with a pawn and then e4 will fall.} 19. f3 {Undermining the advanced pawns. The next move is in the 'Hey Presto' class. I was playing the part of the pretty assistant in the previous note to take you unaware.} 19... Ng4 {The Queen sac is as sound as a bell. White played 20.Nxf5 Qxg5 and 0-1. He ruined the ending, one of the loveliest parts in the whole show. (Thank You Stan Freberg) Here is the finale TK had in mind.} 20. Bxd8 Bd4+ {If 21.Kf1 then 21...Nxh2 mate.} 21. Kh1 Nf2+ 22. Kg1 Nxd1+ 23. Kf1 d2 24. Rexd1 dxc1=Q 25. Rxc1 Rxd8 {Black is a Rook up. Abracadabra!}
The exchange sac on c3 to nick the e-pawn is a common motive in the Sicilian.
Black opens the c-file, sticks a Rook on c8, plays Rxc3 and then Nxe4.
Two instructive games from the Championship except that one is not quite an
exchange sac. It’s more than that.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 {There is the ½ open c-file.} 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Bg5 Be7 10. f4 {I could have used this game as another example of the f-pawn being shoved without looking carefully at the exposed King on the open diagonal.} 10... h6 11. Bh4 Rc8 {The Rook goes to c8 ready to sac on c3.} 12. Qd2 Rxc3 {There is exchange sac on c3.} 13. Bxf6 {An attempt by White to allow Black to change his mind and pull out of the exchange sac.} 13... Nxf6 {No. Black wants the e-pawn.} 14. Qxc3 Nxe4 15. Qe3 {Black now spots the White King and Queen on the same diagonal and goes for it.} 15... Bxb3 {White should now take the Knight when he does infact have the better game, but he is totally unaware of the threat.} 16. axb3 d5 {The kind of move I loved playing. The wait for the bad reply is often better than seeing it.} 17. fxe5 {White nicks the pawn oblivious to what is about to come.} 17... Bc5 {It’s Pin and Win time. White resigned.}
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bc4 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5 Qc7 9. Bb3 Nc6 {This is not good. White can now play Bxf6 and depending on how Black takes back. Ndb4 or Nd4 with a good game.} 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. Qd3 {Black has no qualms about swapping a Bishop for a Knight if the position demands it. Black's next move is a mirror of the move White should have played back on move 9.} 11... Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Nd4 13. Qf4 {You see the reasoning, White is thinking of playing Bh6 or even Bxf6 and Nd4. Black takes the sac on c3 to win the e-pawn up one level.} 13... Qxc3 {Well spotted, very alert.} 14. bxc3 Ne2+ 15. Kh1 Nxf4 16. Bxf4 Nxe4 {And Black went onto win.}
foamin - vorgod RHP Ch 2012
Black has the chance to take the game into a standard book win
Instead a wee light bulb lights up in his mind and he makes the Blog.
1... Rf2+ {Black should have swapped Rooks, the win is pretty easy as long as you know the stalemate try by the player with the lone King and how to win it. (see next game.)} 2. Kg1 Kh4 {Black has thought about this. Don't complicate matters in won positions. Your opponent will be doing his best to confuse and trick you. Don't blame him, it is the job of the player losing to lay down land mines. No need to help him.} 3. Kxf2 h2 {This was Black's idea. That h-pawn is unstoppable it will promote to a Queen. Alas he overlooked.} 4. Rxg4+ Kxg4 5. Kg2 {And that is a draw.}
Calexico - tgun77 RHP Ch 2012
White shows how easy it is to win with a Rook and Knights pawn.
1. b6 Kb8 2. Kc6 Ka8 3. b7+ Kb8 4. a7+ {This is the idea which some players fail to find. You sac the a-pawn to bring home the b-pawn.} 4... Kxa7 5. Kc7 {And wins.} *
Zseventyone - mtn2top RHP 2007
As we have just seen White wins with 1.g2+ Kg8 2.h7+ etc.
White played 1…h7
[FEN "8/7p/5k2/P1R2pp1/1r1Pp3/4P2P/5PP1/6K1 w - - 0 34"]
34. a6 {Black is two pawns down and that a-pawn is a runner. Three choices: Resign, try a futile attempt at holding the passed pawns or go for glory.} 34... f4 {Black decides to go for glory.} 35. Ra5 g4 36. a7 g3 37. a8=Q {....er....} 37... Rb1 {.....Checkmate.}
1. Rh6 Re3 2. Kb4 Re4+ 3. Kc5 Ke3 4. Kd5 {White is now threatening Rg3+ winning the Black Rook. This should have been a hint to Black to get his Rook away from the White King.} 4... Rd4+ 5. Kc5 Kd3 {5...Rd8 and White would have to agree to a draw. Now White wins.} 6. Rh3+ Ke4 7. Rh4+ {White wins the Rook.}
Keep up the outstanding work!
Cheers,
Tim
http://tacticstime.com
and has a few skulls. Even so the games have to be won.
Last year there were two players higher rated than me (and better than me as well), and I exited in the first round.
With random pairings, it's the luck of the draw!
The pawn is on e4 not e3 and the Bishop on d3
is tucked behind the e-pawn.
There are no Colle's on Planer Greenpawn. 🙂
robbie carrobie