This opening trap has caught 2,399 players on Red Hot Pawn.
Marko Krale has 224 victims and Outback was so impressed when Attila the Horn
(128 victims) caught him with it he adopted it himself and so far has 76 RHP scalps.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {The Queens Gambit Accepted.} 3. e3 {It is not really a gambit. Black has no good way to hang onto the pawn.} 3... b5 {Better to let the pawn go and play 3...Nf6. Even 3..e5 is playable.} 4. a4 {4,967 RHP games have gone this way, 2399 have fallen into...} 4... c6 5. axb5 cxb5 6. Qf3 {And White wins a piece.}
As a cure I advise not giving up the d5 point with 2...dxc4 but play 2...e6. instead.
However if you up for some experimentation you can play 2...dxc4 and then try the
1980’s computer move 3...Be6. (I’d chop off an ear before I’d play such a move.)
But it does contain some counter traps which Marko Krale has stumbled over.
You will not catch Marko Krale again, but you will trip up other RHP players.
Marko Krale - gutsiman RHP 2009
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 {This clumsy and stifling move cannot be good but OK for a laugh.} 4. Na3 {Going to win the gambit pawn back.} 4... Qd6 {Setting a trap.} 5. Nxc4 {Obvious but wrong. 5.Bxc4 Bxc4 6.Nxc4 was OK.} 5... Bxc4 6. Bxc4 Qb4+ {The c4 Bishop falls. If the Knight on c4 White could now play 7.Nd2.} 7. Bd2 Qxc4 {0-1}
The other trap in this opening. Again I warn you if this trick does not work
then a good player will make you suffer for playing 3...Be6. Good Luck Lads!
Marko Krale - sealion RHP 2005
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 {Also seen here is 4.Bxc4 Bxc4 5.Qa4+ b5 0-1.} 4. Qa4+ Qd7 5. Qc2 Nf6 {Another pawn bait trap} 6. Bxc4 {Wrong! 6.Nf3 first was better.} 6... Qc6 {Pinning the Bishop and attacking the g2 pawn picking up the h1 Rook.} 7. Nf3 Qxc4 {0-1}
Now I’ll show a Marko Krale win v 3...Be6 so you get an idea of why it can backfire.
Marko Krale - boiledcod RHP.2005
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 4. Na3 a6 {A waste of precious opening time. White is not going to let Black hold the pawn with b5.} 5. Nxc4 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bxc4 {Black needed to chop on c4 to start to liberate the Kingside.} 7. Bxc4 h6 {A fear of Ng5. 7...e6 was much better.} 8. Qb3 {Spot on with pokes at f7 and b7.} 8... e6 9. Qxb7 {Black panicked here and played 8...Qb8+ 10.Qxc6+ and 1-0 a few moves later.} 9... Nb4 {This counter attack looks tempting. if 9...Na5 10.Qe4 Nxc4 11.Qc6+} 10. Ne5 {Typically the better developed side can ignore the one piece attack.} 10... Nc2+ 11. Kd1 Nxa1 12. Qc6+ Ke7 {13. Ng6+ wins a Rook because if 13....fxg6 14.Qxe6 mate. There is of course better.} 13. b3 {With the threat of 14. Ba3+ Kf6 15.Qf3+ mate next move.} 13... Qd6 {What else?} 14. Ba3 Qxa3 15. Qxc7+ Kf6 16. Qxf7+ Kg5 17. h4 {Checkmate.}
Back by popular demand, I review books just by the cover alone.
It looks like ‘Modernisation’ is the new chess publishers buzz-word.
How long will it be before we see the ‘Modernisation’ of the Modern.
(OOPS!)
A study like finish from two players whose imaginations have enriched the game of Chess.
Ivanchuk - Shirov, Bazna 2009
FEN
8/8/5NkP/5bB1/7K/8/8/8 w - - 0 84
[FEN "8/8/5NkP/5bB1/7K/8/8/8 w - - 0 84"] 84. h7 Kg7 85. h8=Q+ {Shirov resigned. He saw the end Ivanchuk had planned.} 85... Kxh8 86. Bh6 {Do you see the idea now.} 86... Bg4 {KxB is obviously stalemate.} 87. Kg5 {White ignores the Bishop. Black can do nothing to stop the White King from reaching f8.} 87... Bf5 88. Kf4 Be6 {I'm just making legal moves with Bishop. The King march to Kf8 is unstoppable.} 89. Ke5 Bf7 90. Kd6 Be6 91. Ke7 Bg8 92. Kf8 Bf7 93. Bg7 {Checkmate.}
Instead of this weeks problem let us look at a game from 1881 which
would not look out place if it appeared in the Red Hot Pawn Database.
J. Schwarz - E. Schallopp, Berlin 1881
First we will look at snapshot of the game. A case of mutual chess blindness.
FEN
r3kbQ1/p2p4/b2Bp2P/8/3p4/8/P1P2rP1/3K4 w - - 0 29
[FEN "r3kbQ1/p2p4/b2Bp2P/8/3p4/8/P1P2rP1/3K4 w - - 0 29"] 29. h7 {This move was not played because both players thought Black could draw with....} 29... Rf1+ 30. Kd2 Rf2+ 31. Ke1 Rf1+ 32. Kd2 Rf2+ 33. Kd1 Rf1+ 34. Kd2 Rf2+ {But White can escape the checks with...} 35. Kc1 {Now there is no draw by perpetual and...} 35... Rc8 {...is easily handled.} 36. Qg6+ {Covers c2 and the pawn promotes.} 36... Kd8 37. h8=Q
Now we look at the full game, another example of an ‘iffy’ attack winning
with imprecise moves from the attacker and one mistake from the defender.
1. e4 c5 {Back in 1881 the Sicilian was still being classed as an irregular opening.} 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Nxd5 {8. Ne5 looks OK. These early exchanges do not give a hint of what is to come.} 8... cxd5 9. Qg4 {An unfortunate move. Black highlights the drawback with the next move.} 9... Qc7 {Attacks the pawns on c2 and e4.} 10. Qe2 {I would have let one of the pawns go rather than retreat with 10.Qe2.} 10... Bb4+ {11.Bd2 Bxd2+ 12.Qxd2 Qxe5+ White's next move appears forced.} 11. Kd1 {White's opening has not been a success. You see traces of an RHP game in it.} 11... O-O 12. Qg4 {Back to this square again. At least this time it is with a tempo on the b4 Bishop.} 12... Bc5 13. Bf4 Bd4 {Black starts picking up pawns. 14.Qg3 Bxb2.} 14. Bd3 {Having no choices White decides to jettison a pawn and get some kind of activity.} 14... Bxb2 15. Re1 {Now a Rook is thrown overboard.} 15... Bxa1 16. Re3 {An RHP caveman attack is coming. } 16... g6 17. Rh3 Bxe5 {Black can see what is coming and fills the booty bag planning to sacrifice the Queen} 18. Rxh7 Kxh7 19. Qh5+ Kg8 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21. Qxg6+ {So it is a perpetual....} 21... Bg7 {...No. Black is getting two Rooks and a Bishop for the Queen,} 22. Bxc7 Ba6 23. Be5 Rf7 {Now what to do.} 24. h4 {The pawn panics Black into defensive errors.} 24... Kf8 {24...Raf8 25. Rf6 and Black can hold this.} 25. Bd6+ {25...Kg8 and again Black can save this game.} 25... Ke8 26. h5 Bf8 27. Qg8 {Possibly a move overlooked by Black} 27... Rxf2 28. h6 d4 {This where both players thought 29.h7 drew. As we saw it wins.} 29. Qg6+ {But the attacker is allowed inexact moves. The defender never.} 29... Kd8 30. Qg5+ {White is stopping the perpetual - which is not there.} 30... Ke8 31. Qh5+ {31...Kd8 32.Qh4+ and Qxf2.} 31... Rf7 {The Rook is pinned the phantom perpetual has gone.} 32. h7 Bxd6 33. h8=Q+ Ke7 34. Qh4+ {Black resigned, it is checkmate next move. An RHP game played 139 years ago.}
