by greenpawn34 on Sep 14 2011 00:55 | 14687 views | 4 edits | Last edit on Sep 14 2011 03:11
The USSR -v- The Rest of the World 1970.
Historic match. Fischer stepped down and played board 2 to Larsen.
Larsen loses that famous1.b3 game to Spassky.
The result was USSR 20½ Rest of The World 19½
A lot closer than people anticipated.
Fischer was none too chuffed with Portisch for agreeing a draw with
Korchnoi when Portisch had a technically won game.
You would think a book about the event with the games annotated
by all the players would be a good buy and a worthy publication.
There is one!
I found it whilst browsing through the Edinburgh Chess Club’s library
of 3,000 odd chess books. (I was looking for something I had not read!) 🙂
One wee itsy bitsy problem.
The names of the ROW players are in English.
The names of the USSR players are in Russian.
The name of the opening is in both languages.
The notes of the ROW players are in English.
The notes of the USSR players are in Russian.
I kid you not.
How odd is that?
The notes from one half of the players cannot be read unless you
are clever enough to be versed in both languages.
It needs translating.
The Russian into English and the English into Russian.
Then no matter what your persuasion you can follow the games
with both sets of notes.
Of course you will need to get the both books to understand all the notes.
(One book the left side of the board and one book for the right side of the board.)
A brilliant concept. Two books covering the one tournament!
A marketing trick the major chess publishing houses have yet to pull…
….give them time.
Continuing with the theme of Mating Patterns and this week it’s Blackburne’s Mate.
This a double Mating Pattern carried out by the three minor pieces.
Two Bishops and a Knight mate against a castled King. It looks like this.
Technical Jargon Explanation No.210
Queens and Rooks are often called the major pieces. The Bishops
and Knights are called the minor pieces.
This give me a an excuse to show one of my favourite games.
Every chess player should be acquainted with this game.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 {OK that is enough developing. White has two pieces out. that is more than enough. This is called the Jerome Gambit.} 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 {And now one of the most instructive notes I have ever written. Black can play 7...Nf6 and save the Rook. and under the rule: Rook = 5 pts. Bishop = 3 pts. then this looks OK. But LOOK! which piece is on play, which piece has been developed. Here the Bishop is worth more.} 7...d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 {Black develops with tempo.} 9.0-0 Nf6 10.c3 {Preparing to play d4 shutting out the c4 Bishop. Good idea, one tempo too late.} 10...Bf5 {Another Bishop that is more important than a Rook. Watch how Black's three developed pieces work together on this one.} 11.Qxa8 Ng4 12.h3 Bxf2+ {13.Rxf2 Qxf2+ and Qf1 mate.} 13.Kh1 Qxh3+ {They reckon a Queen is worth three pieces. They are right.} 14.gxh3 Bxe4 {Instructive, easy to understand and quite brilliant.}
Two good examples from RHP. Both with Black.
First we see the Scholars Mate equivalent of the Blackburne Mate.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Bb4 4.Bg2 0-0 5.d3 Nc6 6.Bd2 d6 7.a3 Ba5 8.b4 Bb6 9.Nf3 Bg4 10.0-0 Qd7 11.Re1 a6 12.Rb1 Bh3 13.Bh1 {The positional player is living up to his name. He has preserved his fianchettoed Bishop and lured the Bishop to h3.} 13...Ng4 14.Ng5 {And White's first expedition into his opponent's half of the board is a lemon. White thinks he is taking the h3 Bishop on his next move. Only trouble is....} 14...Bxf2 {He does not have a next move.}
Next, I have no hesitation in showing this game on the same page as Blackburne’s.
masterpiece. It is a nigh perfect compliment.
1.e4 c5 2.c3 {I wonder what the b1 Knight thinks about that move?} 2...Nc6 3.Nf3 d5 {If Black can safely play d5 in the Sicilian then he has equalised. "If Black has equalised in the Sicilian then he is winning" - Larsen.} 4.exd5 Qxd5 {See note after move 2. This annotating lark is dead easy. Look to see who wins and make merry with the losers moves.} 5.d4 Bg4 6.Be2 0-0-0 7.c4 Qf5 8.d5 e6 9.0-0 Nf6 {OK it's getting serious now. Black's play so far is so simple and instructive I hardly need say anything. His developing moves needed no comment. Model play.} 10.Nc3 exd5 11.Bd3 Qh5 12.Be2 {All White did there was improve the position of the Black Queen. Black carries on getting the bits into play.} 12...Bd6 13.g3 Rhe8 {Ah yes. APA folks. All Pieces in Action. This is what you strive for in the opening. It's little wonder the White roof falls in with the weight of the Black army on it. I knew the mating pattern was coming, I had searched for it on my DB. I had no idea the build up play would be so good. Excellent.} 14.cxd5 Rxe2 {Hangs the f3 Knight. Such moves spring naturally from the superior developed side. This move was a choice of many good moves.} 15.dxc6 Bxf3 16.Nxe2 {I said it was nigh prefect example. White could have thrown in 16.cxb7+ here. Black is still freewheeling to a win but he won't get it with the Blackburne Mate - see next the next game fragment.} 16...Ng4 17.h4 {It's too late now to do anything. Enter Mr. Joseph Henry Blackburne and his checkmate.} 17...Qxh4 18.gxh4 Bh2# {Bravo!}
So back here.
I was saying the Blackburne Mate still lurks but if White plays 1.cxb7+
and Black still goes for it the then the refutation is instructive.
FEN
2kr4/pp3ppp/2Pb1n2/2p4q/8/2N2bP1/PP2rP1P/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "2kr4/pp3ppp/2Pb1n2/2p4q/8/2N2bP1/PP2rP1P/R1BQ1RK1 w - - 0 1"] 1. cxb7+ Kb8 2. Nxe2 {With the check slipped in on b7 there is a defence against the Blackburne mate, now 2...Bxe2 is the best move. If Black goes for glory.} 2... Ng4 3. h4 Qxh4 {OK you ask, what is different?} 4. Qxd6+ {OOPS!} 4... Rxd6 5. gxh4 {Black is now simply a Rook down.}
I found this, another Black win!
Not exactly a Blackburne mate, It’s a standard mate with a Knight and Bishop.
The plausible build up to it make it a worthy example.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 {The Albin Counter Gambit. very playable OTB for the enterprising under 2000 player. Black trades a pawn to face none of the developing problems that can usually only be eased by exchanging pieces in the Queen's Gambit Declined. 2...e6.} 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Ngxe7 7. g3 Ng6 {Black is already set up to win back the gambit pawn. 5,Bg5 has done nothing but help Black.} 8. e3 {This move sets in the motion the following tactics. Rule of thumb No.94. If you have played g3 then make the next move Bg2. You often see this delay in carrying out the fianchetto hitting the rocks.} 8... Ngxe5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 {No doubt waiting for White to play 10.Qxd4 when 10...Nf3+ wins the Queen. This threat of Nf3+ now hangs over White's head for the rest of the game.} 10. exd4 Qxd4 {We now see White doing everything not to allow Black to play Nf3+ with an advantage.} 11. Nc3 Bg4 12. Be2 {Now 12...0-0-0 is the lazy move and there is nothing wrong with it. Instead Black sets White a wonderful set of problems to solve.} 12... Qxd1+ {13.Bxd1 Nd3+ or 13.Nxd1 Nf3+ 14.Bxf3 Bxf3 or 13.Kxd1 0-0-0+ all look unpalatable. White infact chooses the worst option.}13. Rxd1 Nf3+ {White has to take the Knight and then Bxf3 wins the exchange. White is not having that.} 14. Kf1 Bh3 {A minor piece mating pattern that is not too uncommon and easily overlooked.}
And as always we end with a humorous closer.
Could do a book of these. ‘Jokes on the Chessboard.’ featuring everyone.
Black wins the White Queen.
“No it was sacrifice shouts back Ravello.”
OK White er….sacs his Queen for two Knights and…..
No I won’t spoil the ending for you.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 d6 4.Bb5 Bd7 5.dxe5 Nxe5 6.Bxd7+ Nxd7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.Nc3 Be7 9.Re1 0-0 10.b3 Ng4 11.h3 Nge5 12.Bb2 Ng6 13.Nd5 Bh4 14.Qd4 Nde5 15.Nxh4 Nxh4 {In this position White has chances but he now misses that Black was threatening the old double Knight fork trick. Or did he? He actively encourages it. You know this may be a genuine Queen sacrifice after all.} 16.f4 Nef3+ 17.gxf3 Nxf3+ 18.Kg2 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 c6 20.Ne3 Qe7 21.Nf5 Qd7 22.c4 {It is a Bishop and Knight v a Queen. The minor pieces are quite active so Black chases away the Knight.} 22...g6 23.Nh6 {1–0 to the Minor Pieces. Looks like I have the cover diagram for my book: Jokes on the Chessboard.}
Blimey, I didnt know there was a more detailed thread thing... perhaps I am just daft. You might want to put a note in your blog to alert other dopey RHPers. As always, an excellent read for all players. Thanks.
Looking at the position you can see White was worried about
Bxf3 and Qxh2 mate. The damage was done with that Bd3 back
to Be2 manouver. He will most likely have to play g3 at sometime.
That Bishop on d6 is good.
What I want to know is, in the Weadley-Lightwarrior game, why g3? Even I know that if you've misplaced your bishop, your g-pawn is the last one you should advance. That's only wise if you can fianchetto.
I try to keep it clear and not get too bogged down with analysis.
If I have to I'll do a game fragement like I did in that game.
After 17.Qb3+ Ka8 18.Nxe2 Again Black cannot go for the
Blackburne Mate (which was the theme) 18...Ng4 19.Qxf3+ 1-0.
I chose the side line 16.cxb7+ Kb8 because missing moves like Qxd6+
was a plausible typical RHP error. The lads are seeing only their threats.
Nice comments though. I always post a new thread at the same
time as the blog Thread 141949 Some cannot follow
analysis on a comments board. Please do post in the there with a
diagram and a moving PGN thing. It makes it so much clearer.
I'll add the line I just mentioned.
Good to see others are looking at the games and poking about with
them. It's what you do to get better.
Weadley - Lightwarrior: after 16 cb7+ Kxb7! the bishop capture is not with check, and the king slips quietly out of the way in the corner after 17 Qb3+ Ka8.
Also, might be worth pointing out that 16 ... Qh3? doesn't work - 17 Nf4 defends mate and threatens the Queen, 17 ... Bxf4 threatens it again, but 18 Qxf3 leaves White better. 17 ... Bxd1 18 Nxh3 leaves white the exchange to the good. The same applies after 16 cb7+
Your examples always show that there are a lot more good moves than the ones you see at first sight. Somehow, they are always hiding when I trie to find them. Pretty good camouflage they have...
I keep forgetting other players don't haunt the chess forum as
much as I do - cheers.
If ever do my eyes are as big organ stops.
"Should I be doing this?"
Hi Shallow Blue.
Looking at the position you can see White was worried about
Bxf3 and Qxh2 mate. The damage was done with that Bd3 back
to Be2 manouver. He will most likely have to play g3 at sometime.
That Bishop on d6 is good.
cheers.
I try to keep it clear and not get too bogged down with analysis.
If I have to I'll do a game fragement like I did in that game.
After 17.Qb3+ Ka8 18.Nxe2 Again Black cannot go for the
Blackburne Mate (which was the theme) 18...Ng4 19.Qxf3+ 1-0.
I chose the side line 16.cxb7+ Kb8 because missing moves like Qxd6+
was a plausible typical RHP error. The lads are seeing only their threats.
Nice comments though. I always post a new thread at the same
time as the blog Thread 141949 Some cannot follow
analysis on a comments board. Please do post in the there with a
diagram and a moving PGN thing. It makes it so much clearer.
I'll add the line I just mentioned.
Good to see others are looking at the games and poking about with
them. It's what you do to get better.
Also, might be worth pointing out that 16 ... Qh3? doesn't work - 17 Nf4 defends mate and threatens the Queen, 17 ... Bxf4 threatens it again, but 18 Qxf3 leaves White better. 17 ... Bxd1 18 Nxh3 leaves white the exchange to the good. The same applies after 16 cb7+
Thx for opening the eyes every week!