"But.....It's Mate In One" + An opening idea v The English.

[FEN "3r4/ppp5/4p2p/3nPk2/8/1B4P1/PPP1KP1P/R7 w - - 0 23"]

23. f4 c6 24. Kf3 {There is a hole in the mating net the Black King has stepped into (g6). Any Bishop check on the b1-h7 diagonal will get it.} 24... Rg8 {Missing the danger the King was in.} 25. c4 {Bc2 mate can only be stopped by Black dropping this Knight.} 25... Nb4 26. a3 Na6 27. Bc2

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.Nf3 Nh5 {This Bishop chase is far too early. There is an old rule of thumb about never moving one developed Knight till the other one is developed.} 5.Bg5 f6 {Black is trying to keep the tempo gained on the Bishop. The King positioned is weakened.} 6.Bh4 g5 {Consistent but too weakening.} 7.Nxg5 {Black is torn to sheds after this. If Black wanted to play on with 7...Ng7 8.Nf3 he is a pawn down and his Kingside is ragged. Too much to give a 2400+ player. Black resigned.}

1.c4 e5 {This by the way, is not the opening idea to play against The English.} 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.Nc3 Bc5 5.e3 0-0 6.Nge2 d6 7.0-0 Be6 {Who can find fault Black's play. In 7 moves he has castled and developed 4 minor pieces.} 8.d4 Bb6 {9...exd4 comes to the same thing.} 9.d5 {And there goes the piece. 1-0}

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 g6 4. e3 Bg7 5. Be2 dxc4 6. Bxc4 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Nc3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Qc7 10. Qe2 a6 11. a3 Rd8 12. Bd2 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 {The White is Queen defending both Bishops (not for the last time.) Black is threatening Rxd2 here giving up a Rook for the two Bishops.} 14. Ba2 {White has spotted it and tucks this Bishop out of the way.} 14... Bf5 {Black threatens Bd3 skewering the f1 Rook.} 15. Bb1 {White stops that one.} 15... Be6 {A crafty retreat. Black is again threatening the skewer this time with Bc4. White could have played 16.Ba2 but...} 16. Bd3 {This stops the skewers once and for all.} 16... Qd6 {Hello! It's not a true pin or a true skewer because both pieces are of the same value. A Harpoon? One of the Bishops is lost. Defrocked Bishops. White resigned.}

1. c4 d5 2. cxd5 c6 {Often see posted in the forum requests for something sharp or unsettling v The English (1.c4) Try this.} 3. dxc6 Nxc6 4. Nc3 e5 {The game is now a Morra Gambit Reversed. White’s extra tempo (and pawn) should count for something but here the extra tempo just evaporates.} 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Bc5 {Black has the lead in development - the tempo has gone with the slow fianchetto of the KB.} 7. d3 {It's all looking nice and neat on the White side, Black decides to mix things up.} 7... Ng4 8. Ne4 Qb6 {Willing to trade pieces just to keep the hit on f2.} 9. Nxc5 Qxc5 {White should now play Nh3 and castle. He misses the strength of the next move.} 10. e3 Nb4 {A big check on c2 is coming and the a1 Rook is going.} 11. h3 {White is thinking of winning the g4 Knight and trapping the a1 Knight (after Nc2+ and Nxa1) . 11.Kf1 looks better but Black will at the very least win his pawn back with Qb5.} 11... Qb5 {WOW! Fe Fo Fi Fing Black smells the blood of the English King. He shuns the a1 Rook and sacs the Knight.} 12. hxg4 Nxd3+ {Now to avoid a complete wipe out, 13.Kf1 giving Black his piece back with Nxc1+.} 13. Kd2 {Instead White does not allow the discovered check. But he is walking into a bigger one.} 13... Be6 14. Ne2 Rd8 {White really is in big trouble. Look no further than Nxf2+ or Nxb2+ winning the Queen.} 15. Kc2 {Steps out of the discovered check but still losses the Queen. But it's all gone pear shaped anyway, nothing else saves White from a complete materialistic disaster.} 15... Nb4+ {White resigned.}