It's Skull Crushing Week

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Be7 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 Nc6 6. c3 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4 Nxg4 {Well that was that as far as White was concerned. After 9.hxg4 Bxg4 White might as well resign. So he did??}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 {The Four Knights Lopez. Playable and safe. 5.0-0 is top players choice here but I never argue with a developing move.} 5... Be7 6. O-O b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a3 {Too cautious. This was played to stop b4 and give the Bishop a retreat but 8.d3 was the obvious choice here. White has lost his first move and Black is in the lead. It's not fatal but it does not bode well for the future.} 8... d6 9. d3 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 Nxg4 {Here we go. If White's tame opening plan was to entice Black into doing something fierce then it worked.} 12. hxg4 Bxg4 {The pin is uncomfortable. White can now go for 13.Nd4 which nets 3 minor pieces for the Queen. It does not look enough in this position but it would have led to a totally different game. The move, and only move here is 13.Be3.} 13. Kg2 {This is not the answer. 13...Nd4 is the big threat that is why 13.Be3 had to be played.} 13... Nd4 {Now White should go for 14.Nxd4 Bxd1 15.Nc6 etc the 3 minor bits for a Queen line. Instead it is a total collapse.} 14. Kh2 Bxf3 15. Qe1 Bg5 16. Ne2 {Trying to get the boys across to help the King. Black clears the path for his Queen to deliver a check on h5 with a line clearing sacrifice.} 16... Bd2 17. Qxd2 Qh4+ {It's mate next move.}

[FEN "r2q1rk1/pp2bppp/2np1n2/2p1p2b/2B1P3/1PNP1N1P/PBP2PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1"]

1. g4 Nxg4 2. hxg4 Bxg4 {Looks like an interesting try, let us see what happened.} 3. Nd5 {Preventing Black from Nd4 and threatening Ne3 hitting the g4 Bishop.} 3... Bg5 4. Qe2 {Black cannot get his Queen to f6 with that Knight on d5 so...} 4... Ne7 5. Bc1 Nxd5 6. Bxd5 Bh4 7. Bxb7 Rb8 8. Bd5 Qf6 9. Kg2 Qg6 {The threat of the discovered check looks scary and it's in positions like this that weaker players often stumble. What happens next is not quite a stumble it's a complete belly flop.} 10. Nxh4 Bf3+ {And White resigned?? Well yes there is a mate there. 11.Kh3 Qg4+ 12.Kh2 Qxh4+ 13.Kg1 Qh1 mate. But after....} 11. Kxf3 {There is no mate and White comes out of it two Bishops to the good,}

[FEN "1r3rk1/1pp1qpp1/p2p1n1p/7b/2BbP2B/P6P/1PQN1PP1/R4RK1 w - - 0 1"]

1. Kh1 {White is planning f4 or g4.} 1... Qd7 {This is aimed at preventing g4 when Black possibly was intending to answer 2.g4 with 2…Nxg4.} 2. Nf3 {White changes plans. He invites Bxf3 figuring after gxf3 the open g-file will be give him excellent attacking chances. Again the dangers of waiting days in between moves with multiply games on the go. You forget what you were doing.} 2... Bxf3 {Now White realises that 3.gxf3 Qxh3+ drops the h4 Bishop. So he swaps the Bishop and then takes back on f3. All clever stuff this.} 3. Bxf6 Qxh3+ {Whoops! White is mated next move.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nge7 {The Cozio Defence to the Lopez. A playable anti Exchange Lopez try offering a Black a cramped but solid position.} 4. c3 a6 5. Be2 {White makes no attempt to have a go at the Black’s position preferring to develop and see how Black untangles.} 5... g6 {Black can get an OK game here with 5...d5 which suggest White has played to cautiously. In the mainline Black does fianchetto his KB. It's perhaps what White's 4.c3 was expecting. Black is not flexible enough, he is trying to get back into a set up he knows.} 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bg7 8. O-O d5 {This puts Black in an awkward position where he will soon make the wrong decision. 8....Nxd4 first so there is a pawn on d4.} 9. Nxc6 Nxc6 {The fear of the doubled pawn. This drops a pawn and the Knight is forced to back to e7.} 10. exd5 Ne7 11. Re1 O-O 12. Bf3 Qd6 13. Na3 {Remember what I was saying last week about the stronger player waiting for pawn moves.} 13... b5 {At least this not a random pawn move. It was played to stop the Knight from landing on c4. But the open h1-a8 diagonal is immediately exploited by White winning a piece.} 14. Rxe7 Qxe7 15. d6 cxd6 16. Bxa8 Re8 {Black is not alarmed at the loss of a piece. He is threatening mate in two.} 17. Be3 b4 18. Nb1 Bb7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Qb3 a5 21. a3 Bh6 {Black has not given up on his back rank idea.} 22. cxb4 Qb6 {White can go wrong here with a clumsy 23.Nd2 thinking the back rank is protected. 23.Nd2 Bxe3 24.fxe3 Rxe3 attacking the Queen and threatening Re1 double checkmate. 23.h3 and 23g3 also fall for the same trick.} 23. Kh1 {That was the best move. It must have been a scary moment for White till they found it.} 23... Bxe3 24. fxe3 Rxe3 25. Nc3 {Now you see the idea behind Kh1 there is no double check on.} 25... Qb7 26. Qd5 Qe7 {Back to the back rank mates again.} 27. Qd2 Qe5 28. bxa5 d5 29. a6 d4 30. a7 Qa5 31. Qxd4 Re8 32. Nd5 {White believes in sitting on the knife edge. OTB many of us by now would have flicked up the h-pawn to stop the back rank mates and get on with the game. White encourages 32...Re1+ 33.Rxe1 Qxe1+ and 34.Qg1 breaks Black’s heart. White is now threatening Nf6+} 32... Kf8 {It was either this or resigns.} 33. Qh8 {Black ends up getting mated on the back rank. }

[FEN "4rq1k/p1r3pp/8/2PR4/3Q1p2/8/P4PPP/3R2K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rd8 {The correct idea. chop some wood, the more exchanges the stronger the passed c-pawns becomes.} 1... Rc8 2. Rxe8 Rxe8 3. c6 h6 {Black gives his King some luft to avoid any back rank mates. Remember. There are two kinds of chess player in this world, those that have been back rank mated and those that will be back rank mated.} 4. Rc1 {Rules of thumb. Passed pawns must be pushed - Always put a Rook behind a passed pawn. The former was better, the latter was OK.} 4... Qe7 {A cheeky chappie. He is threatening 5....Qe1+ 6.Rxe1 Rxe1 mate. Note if White had played 4.c7 then this trick would not have been on 4.c7 Qe7 5.c8=Q. So now faced with threat of mate in 2 White now plays 5.h3 and it's 1-0.} 5. Kf1 {There are two kinds of chess player in this world, Those have been back rank mated and...} 5... Qe2+ 6. Kg1 Qe1+ {....those that are going to be back rank mated.}

[FEN "7r/r3k1p1/p2b1p1p/1p2nP2/P1p1P3/2P4R/1PB1N2P/2KR4 w - - 0 1"]

1. Rg1 Kf7 2. Nd4 Rb8 3. Bd1 Bc5 {This pin on the Knight looks good. 3...Nd3+ and 4...bxa4 looks better.} 4. Bh5+ Ke7 {A bad blunder. 4...Kg8 and Black is OK.} 5. Rxg7+ Kf8 6. Ne6# {That is checkmate from a clear blue sky.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nxd5 {The White glory moves here are 6.Nxf7 The Fried Liver Attack or 6.d4 the Delayed Fried Liver Attack.} 6. d3 Be6 {Doubled pawns hold no fears for Black. He has big plans and I means big plans for the ½ pen f-file.} 7. Nxe6 fxe6 8. Bb5 Bc5 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 {White's last two moves have left him dangerously behind in development.} 10. O-O O-O 11. Bd2 {White on the other hand does indeed fear doubled pawns, this passive move is to prepare Nc3 with seeing Nxc3 bxc3. Black now whips up full chess set attack.} 11... Qh4 {Hitting f2. White is now on the back foot and the b1 Knight takes no part in this game.} 12. Qe1 {White is not happy with his Queen here and moves it again next move.} 12... Rf7 13. Qe2 {Vacating e1 for the Bishop to hold f2.} 13... Raf8 {That White f-pawn is screaming out for help.} 14. Be1 {Black has the ideal set up. All pieces in action. He wraps this up in a very impressive fashion.} 14... Ne3 {Good. The idea behind it becomes clear on the next move.} 15. fxe3 Bxe3+ {16.Qxe3 Rxf1 is mate as is 16.Kh1 Rxf1+ 17.Qxf1 Rxf1} 16. Bf2 Bxf2+ 17. Kh1 Bg3 {Well played. White has one move to stop Qxh2 mate and Rxf1+ which also leads to mate. It cannot be done. White resigned. A good game by Black.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d5 3. exd5 e4 4. Qe2 Qxd5 {I'm not fond of this one. 4...Nf6. 5...Be6 6...0-0 and see if you can catch the White Queen with her knickers down on the open e-file.} 5. Nc3 Qd8 6. Qxe4+ Be7 7. Bc4 Nf6 8. Qe2 {White is coming out of the opening with a pawn and good position. He does not seem too sure what to do with it. A chance drops into his lap but he misses it.} 8... O-O 9. O-O Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. g4 {11…Nxg4 tricks with which we started off this weeks blog do not work here.} 11... Bg6 12. d3 Nc6 13. Bg5 Re8 14. Qd2 h6 {White should have jumped on this loose move. 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qxh6 Bh7 17.Bxf7+ and White is winning easily.} 15. Be3 Qd7 16. Kh2 Rad8 17. Nh4 {This tempting shot leads to White's resignation. (a tad premature as well.) Black seizes his chance.} 17... Ne5 {White spots the threat of Nxc4 and sees it's not such a big threat so plays....} 18. Nxg6 Nf3+ {Ahhh White missed that. He has lost his Queen and resigned....but.....} 19. Kh1 Nxd2 20. Bxf7+ {This should have been tried. 20...Kxf7 21.Ne4+ wins back the Queen.} 20... Kh7 21. Bxd2 {And there I'll leave it. Black is better but I can see no forced win. Certainly not yet resignable. White is picking up the exchange, Black still has work to do. (check all checks.)}

[FEN "r3r1k1/1b3p2/p2p2pp/2p1q3/PpP5/1P1Q2PP/2B3PK/2R2N2 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ne3 {This really is the last roll of the dice stuff. Infact it’s not. The dice were packed away ages ago. White has no dice to roll, no last arrow to fire and no hope at all. He does however have a Knight, a Rook and a Bishop - not for long.} 1... Qxe3 {There goes the Knight.} 2. Qxd6 {This is the idea behind White's last crazy move. White wanted the Black Queen away from d6 so he can set up his trap. Black can now have a Rook.} 2... Qxc1 3. Bxg6 {And this is White's plan that started with the Knight sac. If Black now takes the Bishop White has a perpetual check. Of course Black did not take the Bishop.....Please tell me Black never took the Bishop.....} 3... fxg6 {He took the Bishop.} 4. Qxg6+ Kh8 5. Qf6+ Kh7 6. Qf7+ {And that folks is how ended. A draw by perpetual check.}