Too me, poets are lank haired unemployable shiftless individuals
I fail to see the need for them or how they ever came into being.
Obviously while most of our ancestors were out fighting Mammoths
a few members of the tribe sat around and painted on the cave walls.
These hangers on no doubt evolved into poets, artists and lawyers.
So people who set poetry competitions and get fleeced deserve it.
The Eagle (and The Boys World) was crucial reading in the 1960’s.
I recently came across a whole collection in (where else) a junk shop.
They ran a Beatles poetry competition. Here are a couple of entrants.
I’ve deleted the names to protect the guilty. A few issues later this appeared.
Brilliant. I call this act the revenge of the hunter gatherers.
Same junk shop produced a of copy of this. At 50p you cannot refuse.
I spun through it and saw two traps in the Caro Kann. One for White and one for Black.
Surely no more Caro Kanns I have been having a run on that opening in recent weeks.
But I decided to check RHP just to see if any of you shower had fallen into either trap.
Oh Joy of Joys. A Bloggers dream come true. What a stroke of wonderful luck.
One poor lad has fallen for both sides of these traps. Itsallzen............I love you.
Itsallzen - Chrismaster RHP 2011
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 {Possibly not as ambitious as 5....gxf6 using the half g-file but very respectable and playable.} 6. Bc4 {Bishop to c4 (or indeed Bc5 as Black) in any opening usually has one serious drawback. It is undefended. Please remember that.} 6... Qe7+ {7. Qe2 or even 7.Be2 are OK. The natural 6.Be3 drops the unprotected c4 Bishop to 6...Qb4+.} 7. Ne2 {And so does this.} 7... Qb4+ 8. c3 Qxc4 {Black won without breaking sweat. Don't worry about it Itsallzen, quite a few others on here have lost a piece this way.}
Next we see my new pal Itsallzen on the Black side of the board falling for a
Caro Kann trick Burgess mentions on the very next page after the above game.
Melina67 - Itsallzen RHP 2012
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 {Burgess writes: One of the main lines of the Caro Kann although it was practically unknown before the late 1980's. For Quite a while the various Knight sacrifices on e6 or f7 claimed victim after victim.} 5... Ngf6 {Good. Ignore the Knight, 5....h6 6.Ne6 and I'll show the example Burgess gives from his book in this line.} 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 {In this position 7...Bd6 and then 8...h6 has been the choice of Karpov, Anand, Timman...just to name a few.} 7... h6 {But this move before Bd6 invites....} 8. Nxe6 fxe6 {Another line is 8....Qe7 9.0-0 fxe6 10.Bg6+ which yields White a fierce attack.} 9. Bg6+ Ke7 {Now you can see why it's best to bring the Bishop to d6 before playing h6. The Bishop is blocked and the King is forced onto an awkward square.} 10. O-O {This is one of those positions where there is nothing concrete for the piece sacced just a position full of interesting possibilities. White develops and waits to see how Black will untangle his pieces knowing a fully develop side will have all the chances.} 10... Nb6 11. b3 {This threatens, amongst other ideas, Ba3+ Kd7 Ne5+ and Nf7 snagging a Rook.} 11... Bd7 {OOPS! Black’s untangling plan goes wrong but he was heading for a very difficult game.} 12. Ba3+ {This ended the misery. Black resigned. It's Checkmate next move.} 12... c5 13. Bxc5
And as promised in the note after move 5. The example from the Burgess book.
J. Nunn - K. Georgiev. Linares, 1988
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 h6 6. Ne6 {Apparently 6...fxe6 7.Qh5+ mating next move is not to be considered.} 6... Qa5+ 7. Bd2 Qb6 8. Bd3 {Black should now play 8...Ngf6 and settle for the fact the e6 Knight will take on f8 and castling Kingside is not an option.} 8... fxe6 {Black reasoned if he is going to have an uncoordinated position at least he will have a piece for it. But....} 9. Qh5+ Kd8 10. Ba5 {...he missed that one. Burgess thinks Georgiev now played on a Queen for two bits down v a GM to keep the score out of the miniatures collections. I agree. 1-0.}
Itsallzen if you are reading this, PM me and I’ll send you free of charge the book.
“I like to play blitz. But I don't like to play the blitz I get when people play
4.d3 to my two knights defence. I want to kill myself when I see this move. “
This was the opening to a post by WanderingKing in the Chess Forum. He continued:
“How do I liven the game up after that? Anything speculative
with an explanation of why it could work will be appreciated.”
Instead of suicide, which is a drastic measure, have you ever considered.
If the opponent does not wish to take you on theoretically in the 4.Ng5 and 4.d4
lines there is not much you can do about it. But you can mix things up with 4…d5.
And although it is disapproved of by the opening books this should not discourage you.
It was a favourite choice of Marshall who played it a long before the books were written.
It’s contains a nifty trick or two and if White is theory dodging with 4.d3 seeking
a quiet solid game then you have got in the first shot and gained precious seconds.
Another approach is to play 4.d3 on here, study it and see what you like and do not
like about it. Then remember what you did not like as White and play that as Black.
The theory being if an opening is causing you severe distress. Start playing it yourself.
Luchomucho - greenpawn34 RHP 2009
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 d5 {Best is 5.exd5 Nxd5 and the e-pawn becomes a target. As Black you have to be ready to sac it for activity.} 5. Bb3 {This may have an interesting looking idea which was not carried out.} 5... dxe4 {Here I thought White was going to play Ng5 hitting f7. (the idea I was talking about ) It's better that what was played.} 6. dxe4 Qxd1+ 7. Kxd1 Nxe4 {Black has won a safe pawn and has a good position, this opening has not been a success for White.} 8. Ke2 Bg4 9. Bd5 Nd4+ 10. Ke3 {By now you should all know my feelings on given up a good Knight for an undeveloped Rook. 10…Nxc2+ I'll only play it if there is nothing else on. } 10... O-O-O {I've read my Morphy. Attack, Sac, Castle and Mate.} 11. Bxe4 Bc5 {This is what I was aiming for. The discovered checks will be fatal. Best appears to play 12.Nxd4 Bxd4+ and Bxb2 discovered check.} 12. Nxe5 Ne2 {Checkmate.} 0-1
You will find more on the 4.d3 line in the link at the bottom of this page.
Last column I showed you the tail end of a 5 minute game with me
losing in fine fashion. This week a slight…..ever so slight, swindle.
I’m Black, I have just played R8-a7 threatening to win the Queen with Rh7.
the position is from memory, the bones are there I’d say it was 99% correct.
FEN
5qk1/r7/1p1P2p1/8/7Q/1P4P1/P2R3K/8 w - - 0 2
[FEN "5qk1/r7/1p1P2p1/8/7Q/1P4P1/P2R3K/8 w - - 0 2"]
2. d7 {That was good to see. It's too hasty. Qc4+ stops the Rh7 Queen winning threat and was much better.} 2... Rxd7 {I'm going for the perpetual.} 3. Rxd7 {And I got it.} 3... Qf2+ 4. Kh3 Qf1+ {5. Kh2 Qf2+ and it's drawn. I was well ahead on the clock and in such situations (few blitz sites, if any, have a method of seeing 3 fold rep at blitz.) I offer a draw rather than time them out by playing speed mouse chess. That is just nonsense.} 5. Kg4 {He did not play 5.Kh2 when I have my perpetual, instead he thinks he can escape the perpetual. Maybe he can....} 5... Qf5 {But he cannot escape the checkmate! Keep alert boys.}
