1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 {4.Nxc3 is more popular. This offer of the b2 pawn had it's tactical teeth pulled before WW II. I'll give in the next game the established 'drawing' line in this variation.} 4... cxb2 5. Bxb2 Bb4+ {5....d5 is famous drawing line. See next game.} 6. Nd2 Qe7 7. Qe2 Bxd2+ 8. Qxd2 Qxe4+ 9. Qe2 {White three pawns down gets the Queens off.} 9... Qxe2+ 10. Nxe2 f6 {To stop a Bishop hit on g7. Black now just needs to get his pieces in the field and consider giving back a pawn or two.} 11. O-O b6 12. Bd5 c6 13. Bb3 d5 14. Rfe1 Kf7 15. Nf4 Nh6 16. h3 {White's pieces are poised ready to spring an unexpected trap. It just needs one slack move from Black so White plays this waiting and restricting move anticipating Black's next move.} 16... Re8 17. Rxe8 Kxe8 18. Re1+ Kf8 {"......It just needs one slack move from Black." There it is . 18...Kd8 and Black can untangle.} 19. Ba3+ {That is the shot Black missed. Now 19...c5 20 Bxd5 drops a Rook.} 19... Kf7 20. Re7+ {It's all gloom for Black. 20....Kf8 21.Rxa7+ and Rxa8. Black is not having none of that.} 20... Kg8 21. Re8+ Kf7 22. Rf8# {Black has been checkmated.}
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 cxb2 5. Bxb2 d5 6. Bxd5 Nf6 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qxd8 {White has won the Queen.} 8... Bb4+ 9. Qd2 {White has to play this else he loses a piece. Micawber - louisXIV RHP 2008 saw 9.Nd2 and 0-1 next move after 9,,,Rxd8.} 9... Bxd2+ 10. Nxd2 Nc6 11. Ngf3 {Draw agreed. There is still some chess in this position. I have had both sides of this position OTB and won both games.}
On the main database this Queen swap variation has been played 71 times:
White wins =27 Draws = 23 Black wins = 21
Van Hanegem has had this variation 10 times drawing 9 times and winning one.
Continuing with Viking Week in the next game the Viking horde storm the
White position executing the Bishops, smashing the Rooks, crippling the Knights
and then they corner the White Queen, tear off her clothes and......
(.......and that is quite enough of Viking Week……….Russ.)
Red Hot Pawn 2012 Championship Stats as of noon GMT 1st of April.
Games Finished = 4998
White Wins = 2510
Draws = 165
Black wins = 2323
2045 games have ended in checkmate. 1100 White mates. 945 Black mates.
There have been 5 Stalemates.
Let’s us now peek into the world of missed chances, blunders and the occasional
good move that makes up round 1 of the RHP 2012 Championship.
justplaychess - mbingham RHP Ch 2012
Where we see another relatively simple win chucked out the window.
All Black had to do was trade Queens and sail home a piece up.
[FEN "8/7p/6pk/2Q2p2/P4P2/1P3KP1/2Pq4/8 b - - 0 1"]
1... Qd1+ {2.Kg2 Qd2+ 3.Qf2 then those passed pawns give White excellent winning chances. The Black position is resignable. Instead...} 2. Ke3 {The is a clumsy move in a won position. We all make them. White totally relaxes and blunders. Never relax in a won game. If your opponent is playing on and a chance drops into his lap. He won't miss it.} 2... Qg1+ {The White Queen has been skewered. White resigned.}
Trigger Happy F-Pawn Players are what Jonathan Rowson calls them in
his excellent book ‘Chess for Zebras.’
A book by the way that has nothing to do with teaching Zebras how to play Chess.
I had also better add it is for the more experienced player. A player trying to get
through the OTB 2000+ barrier.
Where was I?......The f-pawn.
All pawn moves must be giving careful consideration.
Especially Middle Game pawn moves.
In the Middle Game the other lad will have his pieces out and off the back rank.
If, usually because you cannot think of anything to do, you make a slack pawn
move he will be over you exploiting the sudden weak squares that pawn was defending.
Good players wait for weak players to make Middle Game pawn moves.
GM Larry Evans once wrote that a player he had just beaten said;
“You did not do anything. You just waited till I made a mistake,”
“Correct.” said Larry.
If you have this set up….
….and think f4 is a good move then consider Kh1 before playing it.
You often see the good guys playing Kh1 before playing f4. That is also the reason
why you see the same good guys moving their King onto b1 after they have 0-0-0.
To get off that open diagonal before something nasty happens.
If f4 is a blunder and you are facing a good player then the refutation will be spotted.
If I had written those words a month ago then perhaps the player
whythelongface would not have…a long face.
[FEN "r1b2rk1/1pq1bppp/p1nppn2/8/P1BNP3/1PN5/1BP2PPP/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 1"] {White is OK here. Black still has work to do to win it. 1.Nxc6 or even, if he must play f4, then 1.Kh1.} 1. f4 {The King is now sitting on an open diagonal. That is what Black was waiting for. White resigns in the next two moves.} 1... Nxd4 {First pull the Queen onto the same diagonal as the King.} 2. Qxd4 d5 {Next move the d6 pawn with a gain of tempo.} 3. exd5 Bc5 {How easy was that? Black did nothing to force the f-pawn forward. That was White's doing. Remember. If f4 is a blunder and you are facing a good player then the refutation will be spotted.}
Got another one. (I’ve got 100’s of RHP examples of trigger happy f-pawns.)
stoffels (1767) - Azimut (1656 )RHP Ch 2012
Before we go any further I have to thank these two supplying such an entertaining
game. I in return am sharing this game with you and the pleasure it gave me.
(The pleasure for me came in spotting a shot that was not played.)
If I do one thing before I go, it is to convince everyone that to enjoy playing
and learning from a game you need not restrict yourself to Grandmaster games.
Infact most of us learn nothing from GM games unless we are prepared to put in
the work and effort and dig out what is in, or usually was is not, the notes.
Black launches his f-pawn on move one. Not to f5 OH No. 1…f6.
The Barnes Defence. (You will not hit a Barne door with that one…..)
1. d4 f6 {Awful. Talk about trigger happy f-pawns. But on a site where the player is playing another 20+ games at the same time and you know as Black what you are doing. Then not so awful. It’s semi-awful!} 2. e4 e5 3. dxe5 {The lemon here and perhaps what White was expecting is 3...fxe5. then 4.Qh5+ hammers Black.} 3... Nc6 4. exf6 {This is what Black wants. White should give the pawn back. 4.Nf3 fxe5 and 5.Bc4} 4... Nxf6 5. Bd3 {White is hanging onto his pawn. OK let us see what happens.} 5... Bc5 {I'm liking Black.} 6. Nf3 Qe7 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5 d6 9. Nc3 Nb4 {Black is fishing. All he has for his pawn is active play.} 10. Bc4+ Be6 11. Bxe6+ Qxe6 12. a3 Na6 {That's looks odd. Perhaps Black has a seen a possible e4-e5 when d6xe5 leaves the Bishop loose just waiting for a Qd5+ to pick it off. Black is aware of the open diagonal to his King. Good. Be alert to the danger of a check in the position. That is all I ask.} 13. Qd3 Rf7 {Black is going to double Rooks on the f-file. White now wants a Knight on g5 to fork the Queen and Rook.} 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Qxe3 Ng4 {This move is designed to take the sting out of White's coming Knight fork on g5. This is good. Watch this.} 16. Qd2 Raf8 {Black ignores the threat because he has....} 17. Ng5 Qe5 {...this move threatening Mate. Now 18.g3 is the move. Instead....} 18. f4 {Stops the mate, attacks the Queen, protects the Knight and loses. White, just in the last game, has missed the check.} 18... Qc5+ {Get the move order right. This check first to set up a back rank mate.} 19. Kh1 Qxg5 {Well Spotted! The f-pawn is pinned to the weak back rank. But it's not over yet. (the unprotected White Queen on d2 plays a part in this.)} 20. h3 {No back rank mates, the Queen is still attacked, the Knight is attacked. Black could now play 20..Qh6 switching the pin to the h-pawn but he shows off his bag of tricks.} 20... Rxf4 {He is on a roll.} 21. Rxf4 Rxf4 {And if 22.hxg4 then 22...Rf1+ discovering an attack on that unprotected Queen. A great game this, a flurry of trick and counter trick....I'm loving it. Now please tell me White played 22.Nd5 here. Please....Please....} 22. Qd5+ {Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!} 22... Qxd5 23. Nxd5 Nf2+ 24. Kg1 Rf7 25. Nc3 Nc5 {That was it White resigned. What did White miss? See the next game.}
This is how (if there is any justice in the world) how the game could have gone.
FEN
6k1/ppp3pp/n2p4/6q1/4Prn1/P1N4P/1PPQ2P1/R6K w - - 0 1
[FEN "6k1/ppp3pp/n2p4/6q1/4Prn1/P1N4P/1PPQ2P1/R6K w - - 0 1"] 1.Nd5 {This instead of 1.Qd5+ would have been a brilliant swindle if Black goes for the Queen. The reason why I think this would have worked is because here the Queen covers e7. The guard is lowered, no checks and there is a good move to be played…} 1... Rf1+ {1...Nf7 is the move but would Black have seen what happens if he snatches the Queen? } 2. Rxf1 Qxd2 3. Ne7+ Kh8 {Only move.} 4. Rf8 {And if that is how it ended I would have found out where stoffels lives, paid him a visit and handed over my crown 'King of the Cheapo Merchants' to him. An unheard melody in a beautiful tune.}
Let us say hello to kerbouchard1100 was a bit lucky in this game.
[FEN "8/5Bpk/8/2P2PP1/p6p/3p4/PP3KP1/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. c6 d2 {Black is lost and goes for stalemate. And why not, it’s his game. White plays along......just so far.} 2. Ke2 a3 3. bxa3 d1=Q+ 4. Kxd1 h3 5. gxh3 g6 6. f6 Kh8 {Hope...Black has hope.. 7.c7 Kh7 8.c8=Q stalemate.} 7. a4 {White saw it coming moves ago. This tempo waster dashes Black's hopes.} 7... Kh7 8. c7 Kh8 9. c8=Q+ {The difference being White now Queens with check.} 9... Kh7 10. Qg8
The first piece of this weeks merriment is supplied by coquette.
spats - coquette RHP Ch 2012
We join the game late into an endgame with White a piece down.
[FEN "7R/1p2rk2/p1p3p1/6P1/2n2P1P/P7/5K2/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. h5 gxh5 2. Rxh5 Kg6 {The Doom Complex. Black had no need to do this. Simply taking the a-pawn is good enough.} 3. Rh6+ Kf5 4. Kf3 {Now White had to wait a few hours to see what Black played. 4...Re3+ and Rxa3 would do. Instead...} 4... Nxa3 5. Rf6 {That looks like a checkmate.}
and finally.
jharker - Minty67 RHP Ch 2021
A bit of a disaster for Black this one.
He left his Queen hanging on move 12 and could have resigned there and then.
He soldiered on blundering away the exchange and it was a board of sorrow and despair.
Up until then White has been simply taking Black pieces.
Suddenly he had enough of this game and had a bright idea.
An idea so bright it lit up the whole street and people came from miles
around just to stare at is hypnotic glow and bathe in it’s splendid radiance.
FEN
2kr4/pbpp4/1p2p2p/n3Pp2/3P4/B1P4P/P1P1QP2/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1
[FEN "2kr4/pbpp4/1p2p2p/n3Pp2/3P4/B1P4P/P1P1QP2/R3R1K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Be7 Re8 2. Bf6 Be4 3. Qh5 Rg8+ 4. Kf1 Nc4 5. Qxh6 Bf3 {White now decides to end all residence and swap his Queen for the lone Black Rook. It's called trading down to a won endgame. A technique employed by bored looking players with half-closed eyes.} 6. Qh8 {Surely Black will resign now. This is done and dusted.} 6... Nd2 {It's never over till the fat lady sings. The fat lady sings one short note. Now it's done and dusted. White has been checkmated.}
[...]If I do one thing before I go, [...]
or was that just post-related?
Great tips on moving to b2 after 0-0-0 and King to h1 before f4.
Love the Larry Evans story too! Super blog as always!!
Great Stuff Here