I have another chess themed biscuit tin. It is the same one I mentioned
on here five years ago. Now I have two! Here are the same pictures I
used back then. Using the same picture is me doing my bit for the planet
by keeping my carbon footprint to a minimum. I expect a Nobel Prize for this.
It is called ‘Checkmate’ but the position on the biscuit tin...
...is not ‘Checkmate.’
I was going to use this as the first puzzle but it is a bit mundane.
I know what you are thinking. You think I only have one chess themed
biscuit tin and am saying I now have two just too make all of you jealous.
I may lie about my rating, famous films stars I have dated, mountains I have
climbed...but I would never lie about owning two chess themed biscuit tins.
V. Bagirov - Y. Nikolaevsky, URS, 1959 (Black to play)
Look out. The obvious 1...Bxh3 does not win. 2 Bxg3.
1...Rxh3+ 2.gxh3 Be4+ 3.Nxe4 Qxh3+ mate next move.
E. Bogoljubov - P. Krueger, Germany 1931 (White to play)
If given time Black will play 1...exf6. Don’t give them time and then wrap it up.
C. Murphy - E. Kirk, Coventry, 2025 (Black to Play)
Careful.
1...Nf4+ and then Qxc7 0-1. Not 1...Qxc7 2.f3 is checkmate.
No news this week. I daresay something has happened in the chess world since I
last posted but nothing of any great interest. Karpov is still the world champion.
*** Another One Sentence Book Review ***
Recently I played a game in the 7 day ladder, it opened as a Four Knights. So now
I had a good excuse to crack open a book I picked up for £5.00 in a 2nd hand shop.
It should have some modern games in it (my opening theory is, like my chess
news 44 years old.) Hopefully I might come across a new wrinkle to get an
interesting middle game. The introduction by Victor Bologan to a variation
of the Four Knights is brilliant. The whole book is littered with such remarks.
“Frankly speaking, it’s best to skip this chapter and leave it for
a rainy day when you are bored and have nothing else to do.”
I chuckled, serves me right. I winged the opening and did have an interesting game.
Thumbing through the book, which is quite good but a bit steep priced at £29.95.
(that’s it, your book review. It would take me a year to review it fully, watch this space.)
One line that was new to me is the Schiller/Watson variation of the Relfsson Gambit.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {The Scotch Opening.} 3... exd4 4. Bb5 {Quite rare compared with 4. Nxd4, 4. Bc4 or 4.c3} 4... Bc5 {Hanging onto the d4 pawn. If things hot you can always let it go.} 5. O-O {Tucking the boss out of the way so the rest of the pieces can tango.} 5... a6 6. Ba4 Nge7 {An idea here is 7. Ng5 with the loose c5 Bishop in mind. 7...0-0 8.Nxh7 and Qh5+} 7. b4 {This is the Schiller/Watson variation. 7. c3 is the Relfsson Gambit.} 7... Bxb4 8. Nxd4 {8....Nxd4 9.Qxd4 The loose Bishop is the key to the whole trap. Here g7 also hangs} 8... O-O 9. Bb2 {Black should play 9...Bc5 10. Nf5 Nxf5 11.exf5 Qh4 and Black is looking good.} 9... d6 {Plausible because it stops Qg4 and it actually appears to be OK.} 10. Nxc6 {If 10...bxc6 Qd4 another trick based on the loose Bishop.} 10... Nxc6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 {here things split. First we look at the Schiller/Watson idea.} 12. Bxg7 {Apparently given an '!' by Schiller and Watson.} 12... Kxg7 13. Qd4+ {End of analysis in the book. But Black is OK after.} 13... Qf6 14. Qxb4 {If 14...Qxa8 15.Nc3 but Black does not take the Rook.} 14... Be6 {With Kh9 and Rg8 ideas. Black is fine.} [pgn]
Now we look at another line instead of 12.Bxg7.
[pgn] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O a6 6. Ba4 Nge7 7. b4 Bxb4 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Bb2 d6 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 {Now we look at the obvious move which is not mentioned in the book.} 12. Qd4 {Here I can imagine some RHP players may tender a resignation they are losing a piece.} 12... Qg5 {But do not panic, things are not as bad as they seem.} 13. Qxb4 Bh3 {Forcing...} 14. g3 {14.....Bxf1 and Black is good however first of all play...} 14... Rab8 {The Queen has protect the skewered b2 Bishop.} 15. Qc3 {Here or 15.Qa3 it does not matter.} 15... Bxf1 16. Kxf1 {or 16.f4 Qc5+ 17. Qxc5 dxc5 Black comes out of it the exchange up.} 16... Qb5+ {The point of 14...Rab8. next move will be 17...Qxb2.}
Good Question.
Some very silly blunders due to playing far too many games at the same time and then
rushing their replies is the most obvious answer. The Cure: Cut down your game load.
For more experienced players who do take their time then one of the reasons I’ve
noticed (I too am guilty.) is having an idea and not looking at it deeply enough.
I’ve said this before, the secret of chess is NOT to have ideas and wait till your
opponent has one. The chances are it will be wrong and al you need do is prove it.
I’ll show an example with a move I mentioned above.
Augustkim - mallys7 RHP 2011
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {This will transpose onto the position we are discussing.} 3... a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. d4 {Very rare. I can find no OTB game with it but stayed tuned.} 5... exd4 6. O-O Nge7 {We are now back into known theory. A cute way to trick someone into a position maybe not known to them.} 7. c3 {This move instead of 7.b4} 7... dxc3 8. Nxc3 O-O {White has to prove the pawn sacrifice can generate problems for Black.} 9. Bg5 h6 {Hitting the Bishop before the pin because more than just annoying.} 10. Bxc6 {Not good. A hope move. Hoping for 10...hxg5 11.Ng5. with Qh5 coming.} 10... dxc6 11. Be3 {White is probably going for the open f-file, Ne5 and Qb3. A bit slow and too easily countered.} 11... Bxe3 12. fxe3 Qxd1 13. Raxd1 {The double e-pawn on open file are a target but not too easy to get at.} 13... b5 {To dislodge the c3 Knight and then go hunting the e-pawn with Bb7 and Re8 ideas.} 14. Ne5 {Good. White goes active. Black should now play Be6 and connect the Rooks.} 14... c5 {Black wants to play Ng6 to challenge the e5 Knight without dropping the c6 pawn.} 15. Nd7 {If the Bishop had gone to e6 Black would have 15...Rfd8 here but not now. 16.Nf6+!} 15... Bxd7 16. Rxd7 {And White has won the pawn back and the game is back in the hat of pot luck.} 16... Ng6 17. Rxc7 c4 18. a4 {White goes for the Q-side pawns before Black can consolidate.} 18... Ne5 {A sham pawn sacrifice by Black to get a Rook on the 7th.} 19. axb5 axb5 20. Nxb5 Rab8 21. Nd6 {White has three pieces aimed at f7. So maybe, by chance, the 11. Be3 idea is working .} 21... Rxb2 22. h3 {To keep the Knight off g4, and King running room is needed.} 22... Rd8 {Black has an idea. A Blind Swine mate. White did not panic and let it happen. 22...Rd2 was a better move.} 23. Nxf7 {It's not too late. 23....Nxf7 24.Rfxf7 Rdd2 White is better but it is tricky.} 23... Rdd2 24. Rc8+ Kh7 {Black will have got as far as here when having their 22...Rd8 idea.} 25. Rh8+ Kg6 26. Nxe5+ {Black has missed this coming (obviously) and what comes next.} 26... Kg5 {26...Kh5 27.g4+ Kh4 28.Nf3+ Kg3 29.Nxd2 Rxd2 and White easily avoids the Rg2+ Rh2+ Rg2+ perpetual/} 27. Rf5+ Kh4 28. Ng6+ Kg3 29. Rf3 {Checkmate.} 1-0
That Rg2+ Rh2+ Rg2+ draw I mentioned. Nobody is going to fall for that.
Queenmouse - Robert Huston RHP 2025 (White to play)
