Those of you that followed the court case (it was in all the papers) will
know that Let’s All Get Rich Quick Scheme No.45 was a complete failure.
My idea of making a chess set with the heads of rare and protected birds
saw me paraded through a dozen courts in a dozens different countries.
My excuse that these birds were not rare, (there were quite a few of them)
and as far as I could see nobody was there protecting them, was not accepted.
But that is all in the past. The hate mail still arrives but is now down to one or two a week.
Let’s All Get Rich Quick Scheme No.46
The Mallard Tortoise, of which I am assured numbers in the few hundreds,
lives in caves in New Foundland. And as New Foundland is a country I have
not yet been banned from entering I expect to be richer than rich very soon.
The only difference between a rich man and a poor man is money.
No I am not scrimping on coloured ink, that is the actual colour of the cover.
Here to prove it is a picture of it next to a German Beer Drinking Song CD.
(Yes the same CD that figured in Let’s All Get Rich Quick Scheme No.11)
At first glance you would think it was Kasparov v Karpov playing each other in 1992.
It’s not, it’s Kasparov playing Karpov in Seville in 1987. (the title is a dead give away.)
The 1992 refers to the fact that Seville staged the 1992 World Expo Fair.
Why they wanted to advertise this by putting up 2,854,286 Swiss Francs to
hold the 1987 World Chess Championship has never been fully explained.
(possibly it was some Spaniards ‘Let’s All Get Richer Together Scheme.)
Apart from the drama of the last game. Kasparov had to win it and he did.
The 1987 Kasparov v Karpov match was a miserable affair with both players
apologising in print after the match for the poor quality of play and dull games.
The poor quality included two huge blunders not expected at this level of play.
Now me I love a good Blunder. It makes my day. It is proof of God’s existence.
First one from Kasparov in Game 23. Taimanov reckoned at the time this was one
of the most dramatic mistakes in the history of the World Chess Championship.
Karpov - Kasparov World Champion (23) Seville1987
[FEN "5q2/p4r1k/4R1p1/2bPp3/2PpP2p/3Q3P/3B2P1/5rRK w - - 0 1"]
1. Rc6 {Kasparov has the Alekhine Gun set up. (Queen behind two Rooks on the f-file ) and encouraged by this he had a brain storm.} 1... R7f3 {1...Be7 was the move that apparently holds the draw.} 2. gxf3 Rxf3 {Now the White is expected to move his Queen and Rxh3+ depending on where the Queen goes gives Black a perpetual of a checkmate.} 3. Rc7+ {A spite check?} 3... Kh8 4. Bh6 {Not a spite check. it was this move Kasparov missed.} 4... Rxd3 {There is nothing better. Black comes out of this heavily material down in all variations.} 5. Bxf8 Rxh3+ 6. Kg2 Rg3+ 7. Kh2 Rxg1 8. Bxc5 {Actually 8.Bg7+ and then Kxg1 is better but the games is still an easy win.} 8... d3 {The last bullet. If 9.Kxg1 or Bxg1 then the d2 pawn cannot be stopped. Kasparov actually resigned before White played 9.Be3.}
The Karpov blunder is, as you would expect, a little more subtle.
Karpov - Kasparov World Champion (11) Seville1987
[FEN "r7/p4k1p/6p1/bpBPp1P1/2n1P2P/6N1/P1R3P1/5K2 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rf2+ Kg7 2. Rf6 Bb6 {Karpov, very much on top and expecting to win should now play 3.Bf2 but instead played...} 3. Rc6 {And Kasparov gleefully played....} 3... Na5 {White has to drop the exchange.} 4. Bxb6 Nxc6 5. Bc7 Rf8+ 6. Ke2 Rf7 7. Bd6 Rd7 8. Bc5 Na5 {And Black went onto win. A shattering blow to Karpov who during that game should have taken a one point lead. Instead he found himself trailing by one point.}
So you see even the great and the good are apt to throw a wobbly every now and then.
At our level we must remain alert at all times because our opponents will make blunders.
A blunder that made a big impression on me when I was a young player was:
Emanuel Lasker - Max Euwe, Nottingham 1936.
I think I can trace quite a few games I have turned into wins because I saw this one.
I’ve never forgotten it. It’s a game changer from a very harmless looking position.
[FEN "8/ppb3pp/2p1kp2/8/2nP4/7P/PP2KPP1/2B1N3 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kd3 {Black has 1....Nb6 or 1...Nd6 or even 1...Kd5. Lured by the White isolated pawn Black seeks exchanges (that's the rule of thumb v an Isolated pawn) Black played.} 1... Ba5 {We have to remember that at this time Euwe was the current World Champion. Where is the danger in this move. Lasker was always on the alert for such moves played by his opponents.} 2. b4 {This move clearly unseen by Euwe wins a piece.} 2... Bxb4 3. Nc2 {And the Knight which was attacked by the Bishop is now attacking the Bishop. Black has lost a piece. Euwe resigned a few moves later.}
The point being it was an unforced blunder, Euwe had no need to get involved in
playing for tit-for-tat exchanges. This kind of stuck with me. Added to the fact that
even in the most quiet and tame looking positions something bad is always lurking.
Here is one of my OTB games. Being alert, taking advantage of one loose move.
My opponent spent quite a fair amount of time before rejecting a move because
it only drew. Then spent just a few seconds choosing the move he actually played.
G. Chandler - W. Smerdon Edinburgh Chess League 1985
[FEN "3q2k1/5pbp/6p1/3rp3/8/1P2BQ1P/2P3P1/R5K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ra7 f5 2. Qe2 Rd1+ 3. Kh2 {Now 3...e4 looks best. But Black, after a long think decided to tuck his King away from any annoying checks.} 3... Kh8 {Black had a draw which I think I would have probably walked into. (see the next bit) But after 3...Kh8 I spotted the trick...} 4. Qxd1 Qxd1 5. Ra8+ Bf8 6. Bh6 {Black resigned. White comes out of it a piece up.}
The move Black was thinking about was this cute variation.
[FEN "3q2k1/R5bp/6p1/4pp2/8/1P2B2P/2P1Q1P1/3r2K1 w - - 0 3"]
3. Kh2 f4 {And my opponent was sure I'd go for....} 4. Bxf4 exf4 5. Qe6+ Kh8 6. Re7 {Which wins the Queen. Yes but he had looked deeper and showed me the draw.} 6... Bd4 {See it? Knowing me then my analysis would have stopped at 6 Re7 and I would have being feeling pretty smug.} 7. Re8+ Kg7 {There is no Checkmate. 8.Qg8+ Kh6 7.Qf8+ Kh5. This is what Black was investigating on his long think.} 8. Rxd8 Bg1+ 9. Kh1 {If there was no White Rook on d8 then here 9....Bf2+ and 10...Bg3 is Mate.} 9... Bd4+ 10. Kh2 Bg1+ 11. Kh1 Bd4+ {That would have been annoying and yes I think I would gone into that as White. }
We now switch to RHP for another example of tepid positions hiding pitfalls.
dndeleanu - kikko RHP 2006
[FEN "3r1rk1/pp3p1p/1n4p1/2p1nb2/8/NBP2P2/PP2N1PP/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rxd8 Rxd8 2. Rd1 {White is coasting along in an even looking position, but looks can deceive.} 2... Rxd1+ 3. Bxd1 Nbc4 {White never expected this move. It allows the badly placed Knight to be exchnaged.} 4. Nxc4 Nxc4 {White does not like the idea of dropping the b2 pawn so....} 5. b3 Ne3 {...instead White drops a Bishop. 0-1.}
Next we see White nicking a pawn and missing the point.
poundlee - fdelizo RHP 2007
[FEN "3r2k1/2bR1pp1/pp2n2p/2p1p3/1P2N1P1/P1P1BP1P/8/6K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rxd8+ Bxd8 2. bxc5 bxc5 {White can see that 3.Bxc5 Nxc5 4.Nc5 Bb6 pins and wins the Knight on c5 so the moves are played in reverse order.} 3. Nxc5 Bb6 {The same move as in the previous note. White has lost a piece.} 4. Nxe6 Bxe3+ {CHECK! The King moves and fxe6 0-1.}
So what are we learning today?
Everyone blunders. (trust me on this…everyone)
There is no such thing as a quiet lukewarm position.
Beware of thinking for a long time, rejecting the move you were considering
and then spending 10 seconds on playing another move. This is blunderland.
We close with our usual peek into Desolation Row.
Tucked away in the notes to game No 200 in Du Mont’s ‘200 Miniatures’ we see this tale of woe.
Spiel - Kunzel (no date or place)
1. e3 {The Van t'Krutz Opening. If Black plays 1...e5 you can get a French defence a tempo up. If 1...d5 White can play 2.f4 and you can get a Dutch Defence a tempo up.} 1... e5 2. Qf3 {White is planning Bc4 with a hit on f7. Also the Queen is tickling the b7 pawn. The White pawn on e3 stop counter attacks on f2 and leaves e4 clear for Nc3 and Ne4 ideas.} 2... d5 {Of course. Black has the centre after two moves.} 3. Nc3 e4 4. Qf4 {OOPS!} 4... Bd6 {White has lost his Queen. 0-1.}
The above sequence of moves has been repeated 25 times on RHP.
Most have resulted in Black winning a Queen and 0-1 but one game:
samwise222 - tiby99 RHP 2012
Differed slightly. Instead of winning a Queen Black lost a Rook
1. e3 e5 2. Qf3 d5 3. Nc3 e4 4. Qf4 g5 {The right idea, hitting the White Queen, but a terrible blunder.} 5. Qe5+ Qe7 6. Qxh8 {Black who could have won the Queen a few moves ago now puts all his energy into trapping the White Queen.} 6... Nf6 7. f3 exf3 8. gxf3 c6 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. Nge2 Ne5 11. f4 gxf4 12. exf4 Ng6 {Nearly....But has White has...} 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. Rf1 Kf7 {Now threatening Bg7.} 15. f5 {The only move to keep Black from winning the Queen.} 15... Bg7 16. fxg6+ Kxg6 {Now 17. Rg1+ Ng4 18.Qg8 and the Queen stays on the board. Instead White panics and sells the Queen for a Bishop.} 17. Qxg7+ Kxg7 18. d3 d4 {This leads to trouble. Developing the c8 Bishop was better.} 19. Bg5 {If the c8 Bishop had been developed on the previous move then Black could play Rf8 here.} 19... Qe8 20. Bxf6+ Kg6 21. Bxd4 b5 22. O-O-O b4 23. Rf6+ {The White pieces now swarm all over the Black King.} 23... Kh5 24. Nf4+ Kg5 25. Rg1+ Bg4 26. h4+ Kxh4 27. Rh6+ {Black now played 27...Bh5 and was mated with 28.Bf6. There are a few nice mates here if Black plays 27...Kg5.} 27... Kg5 28. Ne4+ Kxh6 29. Rxg4 {With checkmates in two moves all over the place.} 29... Qf7 {Stops Bg7 mate.} 30. Bg7+ Qxg7 31. Rh4 {Checkmate.}
I've used 100's ofy your games but I spell you Big Dog Problem.
🙂