Chess, The Camel and Zwischenzug

[FEN "3r2nk/7p/5ppP/6p1/3B4/p6N/B5K1/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Nxg5 {1....Nxh6 2.Bxf6 mate,} 1... Rd7 {To stop 2.Nf7 mate.} 2. Nf7+ Rxf7 3. Bxf7 {Now all White need do is wait till Black is forced to move the Knight and Bxf6 will be mate.} 3... g5 4. Ba2 g4 5. Kg3 {The Knight must move...} 5... Nxh6 {5...Ne7 is the same result.} 6. Bxf6

[FEN "5Rbk/7p/1r4pP/p3P1B1/1p1b1p2/P2N4/7K/8 w - - 0 43"]
43. Bf6+ {This looks grim. Actually it is. But Black may have been happy to enter this variation.} 43... Rxf6 44. exf6 {f6-f7 is a major threat.} 44... Bxf6 45. Rxf6 bxa3 46. Rf8 a2 {That pawn cannot be stopped from promoting.} 47. Ne5 a1=Q {It's just a pity it does not promote with a check,} 48. Nf7 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "r4k1r/2qbbp1p/p2p2pP/3PpP2/p1NpP3/1P1B3Q/4N2P/1RB2RK1 w - - 0 23"]
23. Qg4 {First we watch how White, two pieces up, succeeds in losing their Queen.} 23... Rg8 24. Bg5 Bxg5 25. Qxg5 gxf5 {The Queen, she is pinned to the King.} 26. Qxg8+ Kxg8 27. exf5 Kh8 28. Kf2 Rg8 29. Rbc1 Qb8 30. bxa4 Bxa4 31. Rb1 Bb5 32. Rfc1 Qd8 33. Ng3 Qh4 {Black has manoeuvred themselves into a winning position.} 34. Nxd6 {This should have lost within the next few moves. White had to try Kg2 to hold the h-pawn.} 34... Qxh2+ 35. Kf1 Bxd3+ 36. Ke1 {Now Qxg3+ by Black and it's mate in two moves.} 36... Rxg3 {Instead it is White who has mate in two moves.} 37. Rb8+ Rg8 38. Nxf7

1. d4 f5 {The Dutch Defence, on the few occasion Morphy faced 1.d4 he liked this defence above others.} 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O Nf6 6. c4 Be7 7. Nc3 d6 {An error Denker jumps on right away. There was no need to weaken the e6 square. 7...0-0 was solid and good.} 8. d5 e5 9. Ng5 Bc8 {Black cannot allow Ne6.} 10. e4 O-O 11. f4 {As the better developed side White opts to clear the centre, open lines and get at the Black King.} 11... exf4 12. Bxf4 fxe4 13. Ncxe4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 {White's position is a dream and the tricks can now start appearing.} 14... Bxg5 {That can be ignored.} 15. Qh5 {if now 15....g6 then the obvious 16.Bxg6 and then, as the good tactical books say, etc...etc..} 15... Rxf4 {Smacks of desperation but it may be the best OTB try in a lost position. It brings out the artistic best from Denker.} 16. Qxh7+ Kf7 17. Bg6+ Kf6 18. Rxf4+ Bxf4 {19. Rf1 wraps it up but White found another way.} 19. Qh4+ Bg5 20. Qe4 {Now Rf1+ really is a threat.} 20... Be3+ {Hoping for 21.Qxe3 Kxg6 and Black is winning.} 21. Kh1 Bh3 {Designed to stop Rf1+} 22. Rf1+ {Which is played anyway. Black cannot take it 22...Bxf1 23.Qf5+ and Qf7 mate.} 22... Kg5 23. Bh7 {Excellent. White has two mates, neither require the f1 Rook. 24.Qh4 mate and 24.Qg6 mate Black cannot stop both mates so resigned.}

[FEN "rq4k1/p1pbrpp1/2pp1n1p/8/3NP3/2NQR3/PPP2PPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 16"]
16. h3 Qxb2 {Incredible to see someone of Marshall’s calibre taking the QNP with the Queen in this position.} 17. Rb1 Qa3 {Only move.} 18. Nd5 {White uses a zwischenzug
(an in-between move) to pick up the exchange.} 18... Qxd3 19. Nxe7+ {White takes here first with a check before capturing back the Queen.} 19... Kf8 20. Rxd3 Kxe7 {White is the exchange up and should have won this game. It was eventually drawn.}

[FEN "r1b2rk1/pp2pp1p/3p1npQ/8/1qP5/2N3P1/PP2PPBP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 13"]
13... Qxb2 14. Qe3 {White sets up the Zwischenzug Trap.} 14... e5 15. Rb1 Qa3 {Black unaware he is on thin ice should have skated to c2.} 16. Nd5 {The trap is sprung.} 16... Qxe3 17. Nxf6+ {The Zwischenzug. Note it is usually a check.} 17... Kg7 18. fxe3 {And in this case White has won a piece because the f6 Knight is protected.} 18... Bf5 19. Ne4 {Black resigned.}

[FEN "r2q1rk1/2pbbppp/p1pp1n2/1B6/4PB2/2N5/PPP2PPP/R2QR1K1 w - - 0 11"]
11. Be2 Qb8 12. Qd3 {Again White sets a Zwischenzug Trap.} 12... Qxb2 {...and Black walks into it. The rule about never taking the QNP with the Queen holds up again.} 13. Rab1 Qa3 14. Nd5 Qxd3 15. Nxe7+ {The theme of the week. The Zwischenzug.} 15... Kh8 16. Bxd3 Rfe8 {And again as in the previous example White keeps the extra piece.} 17. Nf5

[FEN "8/8/1Q6/1pP5/k7/8/K7/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Qh6 {That is the longest move on the board (the clue) and it is the only move that mates in three.} 1... Kb4 {1...b4 2.Qa6 mate. We shall look at 1....Ka5, the prettier variation, in the next game.} 2. Qc1 {Now 2...Ka4 3. Qa3 is mate.} 2... Ka5 3. Qa3 {Checkmate.}

[FEN "8/8/1Q6/1pP5/k7/8/K7/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. Qh6 Ka5 2. Kb3 {and not 2.Ka3 b3+ and it is not mate in three moves.} 2... b4 {Only move and the Queen that left b6 on move 1 returns to b6.} 3. Qb6 {Checkmate.}