Chess: 'The Winning Way' (sometimes)

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Magnus Carlsen won the recent Isle of Man tournament with a
score of 7½ pts from 9 games. Winning six and drawing three

Here is Magnus with his silver trophy and membership voucher.

Of course it’s a fine state of affairs when our current World Champion does
not know the rules of our noble game but that, apparently, is the case here.

M. Carlsen - H. Nakamura, Isle of Man (round 9) 2017.

This game clinched sole 1st prize for Carlsen and sole 2nd prize for
Nakamura so a draw was expected. It just remained to see what three
fold rep would be adopted to flirt past the no draws till move 30 rule.

There was certainly no pre-match discussion between the players, the manner
regarding what flavour the game would take was in Nakamura hands. Should
he go for a win against the world champion to steal first place or settle for an
unshared 2nd place knowing Magnus will most likely be happy with a draw.

It panned out into a perpetual once used in the past by Nakamura as Black.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Rd1 Re8 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 {This was move first seen in the 1978 World Championship match between Karpov and Korchnoi (more about that later)} 13. Qc1 {Korchnoi played 13. Qb1 in 1978. Karjakin - Nakamura in 2016 went 13. Qa4 Qxa4 14. Nxa4 Nc2+ and a finish the same as here. A draw by three fold repetition.} 13... Bf5 14. Bxf6 Nc2+ 15. Ke2 Nd4+ 16. Ke1 Nc2+ 17. Ke2 Nd4+ 18. Ke1 Nc2+ {Here the game was stopped, the arbiter called over and a draw by three fold repetition was claimed and given.}

But legally, and I’m pushing for a nit-pickers badge here, the game is not yet drawn.

Here are the positions after moves 14....Nc2+ and 16...Nc2+ and 18...Nc2+

They look the same but when Black played 14...Nc2+ White still has the right to castle.
This was not the same case on moves 16 and 18. So according to FIDE rules this was
not an official draw. Carlsen had to play 19. Ke2. then it is a draw by 3 fold repetition.

(By the way whilst here I’m sure I need not remind anyone here that there is no
such thing in the FIDE rules as ‘perpetual check’ Yes everyone uses it the term
but it does not exist. ‘perpetual check’ is covered by the three fold repetition rule.)

Here the arbiter is checking the score sheet but did not tell Carlsen to play 19. Ke2.

That guy in the checked shirt behind the arbiter is the FIDE Enforcer. Should any
player have the temerity to question his decision then The Enforcer beats them up

You will be relieved to know that myself and fellow member Paul Leggett tested
the RHP system to see if it knew the rules about castling and three fold repetition.

The answer is yes! Game 12408772 Paul v Me RHP 2017

1. f4 e6 2. e3 Qh4+ {One.} 3. Ke2 Qh5+ 4. Ke1 Qh4+ {Two.} 5. Ke2 Qh5+ 6. Ke1 Qh4+ {Three. The third time this position has been reached but the system would not let us take a draw because after 2...Qh4+ White still the castling option.} 7. Ke2 {The third time this position has been reached and this time the system allowed a claim for a draw.}

So what happens back here in the Nakamura - Carlsen game.

Should White play 13. exd4. We look Ray Keene’s analysis from the original game.

Korchnoi - Karpov World Championship (game 21) 1978

FEN r1b2rk1/pp3ppp/2n1pn2/q1bp4/2P2B2/P1N1PN2/1PQ2PPP/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 10

[FEN "r1b2rk1/pp3ppp/2n1pn2/q1bp4/2P2B2/P1N1PN2/1PQ2PPP/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 10"]
10. Rd1 Re8 {This was a new move. In Game 9 Karpov played 11...Be7. If now 12 b4 then 12...Nxb4.} 11. Nd2 e5 12. Bg5 Nd4 {This move which Karpov's team had cooked up (Keene thinks it came from Tal and Zaitsev ) shocked Korchnoi's team Korchnoi refused the sac and won (see later).} 13. exd4 {We are looking at what happens should the sac be taken.} 13... exd4+ 14. Ne2 Ng4 {This move cause all kinds of problems.} 15. Bh4 {Best. The pawn-fork 15.b4 losses 15...d3 hits the White Queen and mate with Bxf2 is on the board.} 15... d3 16. Qxd3 Ne5 {Threatening NxQ checkmate. The White Queen is forced to move and no way will she able to defend the d3 square.} 17. Qxd5 Bf5 {White has to give up the Queen.} 18. Qxe5 Rxe5 19. b4 {This way White gets three pieces for the Queen, But one piece is King-Pinned and two others are still on their home square.} 19... Qxa3 20. bxc5 Rae8 21. Bg3 R5e6 {White is all gummed up. This is hopeless.} 22. Bf4 {Keene's analysis finished ages ago, I'm just enjoying myself. This is to try and block the e-file.} 22... Bd3 23. Be3 Rxe3 24. fxe3 Bxe2 25. Bxe2 Qxe3 26. Ne4 {There is nothing else.} 26... Qxe4 27. Rd2 Qb1+ 28. Rd1 Qb2 29. Rd2 Qc3 {The threat of Rd8 wins a Rook.} 30. Kd1 Qa1+ {OK greenpawn enough of this......Russ.}

As I mentioned Korchnoi refused the Knight sacrifice and won an excellent
game finishing in an amusing and not quite untypical way in this grudge match.

The ’78 match was full of all kinds of shenanigans involving yoghurt,
a Russian parapsychologist with an hypnotic stare smartly countered
by an Israeli psychologist who was meant to combat the hypnotic stare.

Black (Karpov) in an unenviable position to play.

The Rook and Bishop are attacked and the b7 pawn is promoting soon.

Whilst Karpov was still thinking the arbiter, Lothar Schmid, approached
the board with a White Queen anticipating the coronation of the b7 pawn.
Korchnoi asked that he should bring a Rook, Knight and Bishop as well as
he may want to under promote. Karpov took the blatant hint and resigned.

I’m living near a strange person (I bet all my neighbours think the same about me).

From time to time I wander around the 2nd hand book shops looking to see
what chess books, if any, have been given up on and dumped in utter despair.

We are all looking for that secret chess book. The one that will turn us into
chess demons. (We probably have it already but none of us read the things.)

Once a month from the same shop I came across one of this series.

I think I now have the complete set. If not then very close to it.

They are all in mint condition and they did not appear all at once but in
approximately monthly to 6 weeks intervals. All this is very odd indeed.

Here we have a chess player buying a chess book, holding onto it unread for
a period of time and then upon discovering they are no better they get rid of it.

I stroll along, buy it for £2.00 maximum, do it the honour of at least going through
it looking for something I can use here and this is where you lot come in Ready?

This one has 56 victims on RHP. who have found ‘The Losing Way’. It does NOT
feature what I reckon is most likely the most automatic move ever played in chess.

1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.d4

Everyone ‘automatically’ plays 3...cxd4 here. Don’t they?

No. Some of the more adventurous souls on here play 3...b6 4. dxc5 bxc5 5. Qd5!

And they lose a piece. Some play on, a lot tend to resign here, usually it’s the
Rook the is given up and Black then tries in desperation to trap the White Queen.

The previous trap tripped up 56 players. This next one just once and it was not taken.

BunbuIchi - papappa RHP 2013

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O d6 {5....Nxe4 is the mainline. The text is safe enough provided Black does not mix up his variations.} 6. Ng5 {This thrust is easily countered with 5...Ne5 hitting the c4 Bishop and defending f7.} 6... d5 {This is the normal reply if White had played 4. Ng5 instead of 4.d4. but In this position it is just bad.} 7. exd5 {7...Nxd5 8.Nxf7 leads to a Fried Liver Attack two tempo up. White has castled and played d4.} 7... Na5 {Both players now appear to go offline trying to it back to a mainline position. White played 8. Bb5+ here which belongs in the 4. Ng5 variation. White ended up losing this game. He missed....} 8. Qe1+ {Picking up the a4 Knight. Beware. An unprotected piece with a check in the position.}

Bruce shows how White can, with Black’s help, win the an e-pawn in 6 moves.

The opening moves are: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3...

5... a6? 5. Bxc6 “No matter how Black takes back , White’s f3 Knight captures
the e5-pawn , laughing all the way to the blankety-bank “ - Bruce Pandolfini.

Winning a pawn on RHP is no guarantee the blankety-bank is open.
(what exactly does that mean? what on earth is ‘the blankety-bank?’ )

Here at RHP we have had 410 White players ‘laughing all the way to the blankety-bank’.
and of those 410 happy players who deposited a pawn in the ‘the blankety-bank ‘ there
are 180 White players who found out that the ‘the blankety-bank’ was closed for lunch.

Basically without all the fun guff. 180 Black players have had this position and won!

White, after nicking the e-pawn, is probably winning in the real world. But to the lads
(and the lassies) at Red Hot Pawn ‘probably winning’ means you are probably losing.

azhreirea - nprosser RHP 2008

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {Not quite the way the e-pawn is nicked but it transposes. I chose this game to show....} 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. Nxe5 {....that Black here can win the pawn back with 5....Qd4.} 5... Nf6 6. d3 {Now we have the blankety bank position. Which as I said has been seen on here 410 times.} 6... Bd6 7. Nc4 Bg4 {White now refrains from the obvious 8.f3. } 8. Qd2 {This looks clumsy but it's OK if followed up correctly.} 8... O-O 9. e5 {Too soon. 9. 0-0 first, plot and plan later.} 9... Bxe5 {This is wrong 9...Re8 first was the move.} 10. Nxe5 Re8 {This can be defended. White is going to keep a whole piece in the good old blankety-bank.} 11. d4 Nd7 {Ignore it, just castle, you are a piece up.} 12. Qf4 {No. The bank is about to be robbed.} 12... Nxe5 {White now should castle and fight on.} 13. dxe5 {White banks another piece.} 13... Qd1 {Black banks the King.}

Finally a position that has appeared 63 times on Red Hot Pawn.

Five players as Black have gone for the trap Bruce mentions. with 7...Ng4
8. Qxg4 Qxd4+ and mate next move but no RHP White has fallen for it (yet).

Just to prove that there are good moves on RHP here is a game
leading to the above position and how White neatly handled it.

sclewissr - HumbleKing RHP 2012

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Bc5 {Black can drift into an awkward position with this move. 3....Nf6 (develop Knights before Bishops - Lasker ) is a sound alternative.} 4. Nxe5 {Setting up Black for the pawn fork trick.} 4... Bxf2+ {Attractive and White has to play a few exact move but once over that hurdle it should lead to a good White position. 4...Nxe5 5.d4 Bd6 is equal.} 5. Kxf2 Nxe5 6. d4 {It's the full central control and easy development that makes this line good for White. He just a few traps to avoid.} 6... Qf6+ 7. Kg1 Ng4 {This is Pandolfini's move. White has to ignore the Knight.} 8. Qd2 {The only move to hold f2 and d4 but it is good enough.} 8... Ne7 9. h3 {The White King now has a bolt hole at h2 and the h1 Rook can get into the game.} 9....Nh6 10. Nb5 {Now White takes over and Black has to do some defending.} 10... Qb6 {The unappetising 10...Kd8 may be slightly better but Black is always going to be in a cramped position with no prospects.} 11. Qc3 c6 {A mistake that such defending difficult positions often prompts.} 12. Nd6+ Kf8 13. Bxh6 gxh6 14. Qc4 {To stop the mate on f7 Black has to play Nd5 losing a piece and Black is still in a mess. Black resigned.}

If we now go back in this position.

Five players from 63 have gone for 7...Ng4 and had no takers on g4. The success
rate = 0% But 3...Ne7 played on here just three times has a success rate of 67%.

a winner - oskibara RHP 2008 and roma45 - Brazuca RHP 2011

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. Nxe5 Bxf2+ 5. Kxf2 Nxe5 6. d4 Qf6+ 7. Kg1 Ne7 8. dxe5 {8. Be3 as played in APB - Jorgito RHP 2005 is the move and White went onto win.} 8... Qb6+ {Mates in a few.} 9. Qd4 Qxd4+ 10. Be3 Qxe3

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 174408

Chess: 'The Winning Way' (sometimes)

The Planet Greenpawn

Chess: 'The Winning Way' (sometimes)

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

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