Yesterday, the 13th of November was a rest day in the World Championship
so I took the opportunity to go to the beautiful wee village of Culross in Fife.
Nothing has changed building wise since the 1800’s. It’s wonderful.
A place full of wee nookies, crannies and secret streets to explore.
Of course the real reason to visit Culross (pronounced koo-ross) was to see..
...the statue of this chappie. Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald.
He was the uncle of the famous chess player John Cochrane (1798 - 1878)
The very man who introduced the Scotch Game to the Chess World
and also the Cochrane Gambit (that Knight sac) in the Petroff Defence.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nxf7 Kxf7 {Game on.}
RHP White stats on this opening. P.895 W. 374 D.60 L.461.
I’ll bet my lower set of teeth we will not be seeing that opening in this title match.
(I lost my upper set of teeth and my hair years ago - what a game of poker that was.)
Before we the leave the picturesque village of Culross I have to show you this.
This was in a garden overlooking the beach. A Chessboard next to Snakes and Ladders.
How stupid is that? I’ll be sitting there playing the Cochrane Gambit and next
to me will be loud idiotic young people rattling a dice in a plastic beaker and
bouncing it across the table landing on g5 “A six - up the ladder and another go!!”
I’ve seen some chess games turn into fisty cuffs but usually it’s between chess
players, I’ve never seen one between a chess player and snakes and ladders fan.
Magnus Carlsen - Sergey Karjakin. 2016 World Championship Game Three.
After the first two non-games we finally got an epic.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The planet groaned. Oh No not a Berlin Defence.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {Ahhh the trappy line.} 5... Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 {Karjakin was White v Carlsen here in the 2013 Tal Memorial, Carlsen played 9...Ne8. The game was drawn.} 9... Bf6 10. Re2 {I knew this would happen. Carlsen and his silly Rook moves. But the more you look at it you can see the point. Qe1 ideas hogging the e-file. Apparently it worked time wise. Karjakin spent 25 minutes on his reply.} 10... b6 {And you can wonder what he was thinking about. This seemed so natural.} 11. Re1 {If the squares a6 and c6 prove to be a game losing weakness then Re2- Re1 will be hailed as the greatest move ever played.} 11... Re8 {Black chops some wood off the board.} 12. Bf4 Rxe1 13. Qxe1 Qe7 14. Nc3 Bb7 15. Qxe7 {Always a big moment when the good guys swap Queens. Carlsen has a plan.} 15... Bxe7 16. a4 {He is going to try and prove b6 is a weakness.} 16... a6 {This has to be played answering a5 with b5.} 17. g3 {Magnus has deemed the b7 Bishop better than the f1 Bishop so preps to swap it.} 17... g5 {This lunge is to get Carlsen to make up his mind regarding the Bishop. Black wants the pressure off c7. Which Black will feel after the Bishop swap and Nd5.} 18. Bxd6 Bxd6 19. Bg2 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f5 {Grabbing some space on the Kingside, taking a square off the Knight.} 21. Nd5 {The argument is. Who has the better minor piece. Carlsen or Karjakin. I've always liked Knights so I'll say Carlsen.} 21... Kf7 {21...h6 was a try because Nf6+ is not a threat. 22.Nf6+ Kf7 23.Nxd7 Rd8 24.Ne5 Bxe5 then Rd2 Black will win back the pawn and be just a bit more active than White.} 22. Ne3 Kf6 23. Nc4 Bf8 24. Re1 Rd8 {When I saw this I was I was thinking Black might be considering not moving the d7 pawn to rob the Knight of the c6 square.} 25. f4 {Here he comes, another decision for Black. take on f4, g4 or h5} 25... gxf4 {He took it.} 26. gxf4 b5 {The natural follow up. Black is getting two White pawns off the board.} 27. axb5 axb5 28. Ne3 {I would probably have played Ne5. As soon as you see what Magnus played you can see he wants to declare that the f-pawn a weakness.} 28... c6 {All the Black pawns on light squares so the dark squared Bishop is room. It's what the good books tell us to do.} 29. Kf3 Ra8 30. Rg1 {Rooks on open files, they tells us to do that as well. White is thinking of Rg5 tickling the f5 pawn.} 30... Ra2 {Karjakin’ s first real threat. He must go active.} 31. b3 c5 {Karjakin is forcing Carlsen’ s hand, he will not be sitting back with defensive moves like Bh6 or h6 to keep the Rook of g5.} 32. Rg8 Kf7 33. Rg2 cxd4 34. Nxf5 d3 35. cxd3 {Karjakin decides that the Knight v Bishop is just too tricky to hold.} 35... Ra1 {White is a pawn up. All the pawns are split and on both sides off the board. That should in theory favour the Bishop but Carlsen’ s Knight is very good.} 36. Nd4 b4 37. Rg5 {Getting the Rook behind the b-pawn. Again things we are told to do. Looks like Carlsen has read the same books as us.} 37... Rb1 38. Rf5+ {A check to knock the King back. White's King is going to be more active. Karjakin’ s only hope here is the split pawns.} 38... Ke8 39. Rb5 Rf1+ 40. Ke4 Re1+ {These last two checks appear to get Karjakin to the time control. They tell us not to give pointless checks in Rook endings as it usually improves the position of the King. But looking at the board what else?} 41. Kf5 Rd1 {With the King chased away from the d-pawn this might distract Carlsen.} 42. Re5+ {I like 42. Rb8+ Kf7 43.Nf3 Black cannot take the d-pawn because of Ne5+} 42... Kf7 43. Rd5 {Is that tactically holding the d3 pawn?} 43... Rxd3 {Apparently not.} 44. Rxd7+ Ke8 45. Rd5 Rh3 46. Re5+ {White is just keeping enough material on the board to keep the win alive.} 46... Kf7 47. Re2 Bg7 48. Nc6 {There is a trap. 48...Rxb3 49.Nd8+ Kf8 50 Ne6+ Kf7 51.Ng5+ wins easily.} 48... Rh5+ {To chase the King away from the Black King to give him some running room.} 49. Kg4 Rc5 50. Nd8+ {The RHP move here is 50....Kf6 51.Re6 Checkmate.} 50... Kg6 51. Ne6 h5+ 52. Kf3 Rc3+ 53. Ke4 {Black cannot take the b3 pawn. Rg2+ wins the Bishop.} 53... Bf6 54. Re3 {Again Carlsen wants to see a minor piece ending.} 54... h4 {Carlsen cannot take on c3. The White King has to chase the c3 pawns which gives f5 to the Black's King and the f-pawn falls,} 55. h3 Rc1 {Again Karjakin keeps the Rooks on. We are now coming to White's last chance to win this. The players must be getting tired they have been at for 5 hours.} 56. Nf8+ {Magnus knows the last chance is that f-pawn so he goes fishing waiting for the right moment to push it.} 56... Kf7 57. Nd7 Ke6 58. Nb6 Rd1 59. f5+ {Now it's game on. One last hurdle for Karjakin to jump.} 59... Kf7 60. Nc4 Rd4+ 61. Kf3 Bg5 62. Re4 Rd3+ 63. Kg4 Rg3+ {That looks like a blunder Black had to play Bf6 then Black is hitting the b3 pawn.} 64. Kh5 Be7 65. Ne5+ Kf6 66. Ng4+ Kf7 67. Re6 Rxh3 68. Ne5+ Kg7 69. Rxe7+ {This is Karjakin's last line of defence. Give up the Bishop but get the pawns. The KRN v KR ending a book draw.} 69... Kf6 70. Nc6 Kxf5 71. Na5 {That now looks false (hindsight) the b3 pawn was being held tactically due to the Knight check on d4. Maybe Re1 and Rf1+ to get the Black King away from the h-pawn } 71... Rh1 72. Rb7 Ra1 73. Rb5+ Kf4 74. Rxb4+ {Wonderful defensive play from Karjakin. Giving the pawn up with check means the b3 pawn hinders the White Rook.} 74... Kg3 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 77. Rh4 Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 {The players agreed a draw here (phew) the h-pawn is enough to secure the draw. An epic struggle.} *
As I mentioned 5.Re1 is a trappy line. Some RHP examples.
2blawyer - Bert Hengeveld RHP 2012
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {Black can see that holding the e4 Knight with 5....d5 pins the c6 Knight so...} 5... f5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 {7.d3 first to kick the Knight off e4, which opens the e-file and then Nxe4. Now 7...Qd4 from Black can create some problems.} 7... Bc5 {White can play 8.Qh5+ here 8...g6 8.Nxg6 Bxf2+ is just a check. 9.Kf1 and the Black King is in bigger danger than White's.} 8. Rxe4 {White's not messing about. This looks good but it has a tiny flaw.} 8... fxe4 9. Qh5+ {Black played 9...Kf8 and got mated on f7. 9...Ke7 also gets mated. The game could have gone...} 9... g6 10. Nxg6 {I assume this was the White idea of the Rook sac on e4.} 10... Bxf2+ {10...Qd5 is better but I wanted to get this idea across.} 11. Kxf2 {Not taking it with 11.Kf1 is best but you must store the defensive idea I am going to show....} 11... Qd4+ {This move holds the h8 Rook. White gets out of Check then Black plays PxN.}
And another, this time a Black win.
zugzwang9000 - Scobie RHP 2007
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 {5....Nd6 is the theoretical choice. But why not 5....d5} 5... d5 {The c6 Knight is now pinned. White can now get a great position simply with 6.d3 Knight moves and then 7.Nxe5} 6. Nxe5 {Blinded by the c6 pin White leaves the e5 Knight on e5.} 6... Qf6 {Holds c6 and hits f2. Black has got away with 5....d5. If you do not punish a slack opening move tactically then it will return to haunt you.} 7. Nxc6 {Better to admit you were wrong and go back to f3. This is how we often hang ourselves. We cannot to admit to ourselves that we are wrong.} 7... bxc6 {Now 8.Bxc6+ and 9.d3 wins back the piece.} 8. Bf1 {Black now takes over.} 8... Qxf2+ 9. Kh1 Bc5 {Threatening........} 10. Be2 {....the Queen sac 10...Qg1+ 11.Rxg1 Nf2 Mate.} 10... Qh4 {He missed it. White should now try 11.Bf3 the e4 Knight is pinned.} 11. Rf1 {White was so worried about losing the Queen to Nf2 he missed.} 11... Ng3 {Checkmate.}
Finally, We cannot leave Re1 without mentioning Anastasia’s Mate
JBMermaid (1322) - Augustkim RHP 2013
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 {Black should now play 6...Be7 but he can get away with....} 6... Nxe5 7. Rxe5+ Be7 8. Nc3 {Now Black castles and the game is in the pot.} 8... Nxb5 {This is the attractive part of the trap. The Knight moves freeing the d7 pawn which will go to d6 with tempo.} 9. Nd5 {The idea. Black now played 9...Kf8 and the game was agreed a draw. The trap/trick is...} 9... O-O 10. Nxe7+ Kh8 11. Qh5 {If Black spots it and plays 11..g6 then 12.Qh6 with Rh5 gxh5 and Qf6 mate ideas.} 11... Nd4 {Black saves the Knight. Moves like 11..a6 or 11..Nd6 etc all meet the same fate.} 12. Qxh7+ Kxh7 13. Rh5 {Anastasia's Mate}
