Missing the Morphy Pattern.

By 04 Oct 20 on

16414 views | 1 edit | Last edit on 08 Oct 20

I pick this up on my travels around the various chess sites.

What game is this final position from?

I'm not, but are you sure it known by everyone?

mlplider - fishedout RHP 2019

Black played 10....Nxb3 11.Rd8 mate.

Lenc - johnj RHP 2019

Black played 10...Nxe4 11.Rd8 mate.

Those are just a few of the fairly recent examples. There is also the mirror mating pattern.

gina0104 - kirbythecat RHP 2020

Black played 15...a6 16.Re8 Mate.

alenin2700 - Mott The Hoople RHP 2019

Black played 18...Nxd5 19.Re8 mate.

Some of you may remember Fat Lady who was a regular here. He recently sent me a
game. It proves he can call on the Morphy Mating Pattern at will...and then forget it!

Fat Lady was White and it is a blitz game from a few days ago.

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 {The opening has gone into a Two Knights Defence.} 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 {Here 5...Nxd5 6.Nxf7 is the Fried Liver Attack.} 5... Na5 {First analysed way back in 1560 by Polerio.} 6. Bb5+ {6...Bd7 here is playable provided White plays 7.Bxd7+ better is 7.Qe2.} 6... c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Qf3 {The Bogoljubow Variation. Opening books currently frown on Black playing 8...bxb5 9. Qxa8 here but it is a shot worth considering, although anyone playing 8.Qf3 will be booked up here.} 8... Bb7 {8...Qc7 or 8...Rb8 are theoretically better.} 9. Bd3 c5 {Openings up an attack on the Queen, but also opens up an attack on the King.} 10. Bb5+ Ke7 {Forced.} 11. Qc3 Qc7 12. O-O h6 13. Nf3 e4 14. Re1 Kd8 {White now spots the Mirror Morphy Mating Pattern and offers a Knight and Queen.} 15. d3 exf3 16. Qxf6+ {A shocked Black cannot the take Queen 16...gxf6 17.Re8 mate, Well played Fat Lady.} 16... Be7 17. Qxg7 Rf8 {White now played 18.Bxh6 and eventually won. However here White could have played....} 18. Qxf8+ Bxf8 {Only move.} 19. Re8 {Checkmate. White forgot his Morphy Mating Pattern in the space of two moves.}

I too screwed up a Morphy Mate and I do not have the excuse of it being blitz.
Mine was an OTB game and although a rapid (25 minutes each) it’s still a sin.

G. Chandler - D. Kelly, Grangemouth Allegro 1994

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 {I enjoy playing v the Latvian, I play it myself, I know what all the wee tricks and traps.} 3. Nxe5 Qf6 4. Nc4 fxe4 5. Nc3 c6 6. d3 {I am not too sure what I'm doing but it looks OK.} 6... d5 7. Ne3 exd3 8. Bxd3 Bd6 9. Qe2 Ne7 {Nothing is working. Need to stop him castling.} 10. Nc4 dxc4 11. Ne4 {He might just fall for 11...cxd3 12.Nxf6 CHECK!} 11... Qg6 {NO. Back to plan A - prevent castling.} 12. Nxd6+ Qxd6 13. Bxc4 Qg6 14. Bd2 {I'll castle first and see what happens.} 14... Qxg2 {If 0-0-0 he has Bg4...but wait...something on here.} 15. O-O-O Bg4 16. Qxe7+ {That shook him.} 16... Kxe7 17. Bg5+ Ke8 {And now Rd8 mate....} 18. Rhe1+ {Or this which is also mate.} 18... Be6 {OK it's not mate, a bit sloppy but now...} 19. Rxe6+ {...It's over.} 19... Kf7 {It's not. A had a panic attack here and thought I'd blown it. I calmed down and saw.} 20. Rf6+ {Thank fully the Morphy Mate is still on the board.} 20... Ke8 21. Rf8+ {Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.} 21... Rxf8 22. Rd8 {Phew! I was so close to giving up Chess there. The embarrassment would have haunted me.}

We end this section with a wonderful 16 mover from RHP which has the Morphy theme.

playitagain - George of the jungle RHP 2005

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 Qf6 {In the original Morphy Black played 6....Nf6 here.} 7. Qg4 {Threatening Qc8 check and Qxb7.} 7... Ne7 8. Nc3 c6 {To stop Nd5.} 9. a4 {To prevent b5 by Black.} 9... Na6 {Now White has no pawn to go to a3 this Knight is looking at Nb4 hitting c2.} 10. Bg5 Qg6 11. Rd1 {Threatening Qd7 mate.} 11... Rd8 12. Rxd8+ Kxd8 13. O-O Nb8 {Anticipating the coming Rd1+ check. this move covers the d7 square.} 14. Rd1+ Ke8 {And now as in the original Morphy game, a Queen Sac...} 15. Qc8+ Nxc8 16. Rd8 {....and the Morphy mate.}

Don’t skip past this one, you will miss a wonderful piece of chess.
This is a joint composition by B. Lindgren and H. P. Rehm 1980.

White to play and force Black to mate him. Every one of Black's moves is forced.

FEN Q2R4/2k3nR/2p5/P7/5K2/8/8/6N1 w - - 0 1

[FEN "Q2R4/2k3nR/2p5/P7/5K2/8/8/6N1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ke3 c5 {Only legal move and from now on that is all Black has, one legal move.} 2. Qb8+ Kc6 3. Rh6+ Ne6 {A Rook giving check and the Knight intervening appears again and again.} 4. Kd2 c4 5. Rd6+ Kc5 6. Rh5+ Ng5 7. Kc1 c3 8. Qb6+ Kc4 9. Rh4+ Ne4 10. Rg4 c2 11. Rd4+ Kc3 12. Rg3+ {Black has only one move.} 12... Nxg3 13. Ne2+ {At the risk of repeating myself, Black has no choice but to play...} 13... Nxe2 {Checkmate. Brilliant.}

Where we look back at a game from an old blog that had something
rather unique, instructive or humorous about it. (I try to get all three)

This one is from 2011 when I was looking at perpetual checks to see if any were
not draws, a player could give mate or the player getting checked could escape.

I happened upon this position from Apee - Slow Racer, RHP 2008

12...Qd7 13.Qa8+ Qd8 14.Qc6+ is indeed a perpetual check.

Intrigued by the Black pieces on a1 and b1 I decided to go through the whole game.

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Bf5 {A mutual London System first seen in 1818, I'll give the game later, it's a date with an old mate.} 3. e3 a6 {Played I suppose to stop Nc3-b5 ideas which is a common theme in this opening.} 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c4 Nb4 {This time it is Black who goes for the attack on c2 and not White attacking c7.} 6. Qb3 {6.Qa4+ was the move here. 6...b5 7.Qxb4 e5. 8.Qd2! exf4 9.cbx5 looks O.K.} 6... Nc2+ 7. Kd1 Nxa1 8. Qxb7 {8..Rb8 9.Qc6+ Bd7 and Black is a solid Rook up.} 8... Bxb1 {So this is how the Black pieces ended up on a1 and b1.} 9. Bxc7 {9. Qc6+ Qd7 10.Qxa8+ is a pep-draw.} 9... Qc8 {White now played 10.Qxd5 Qxc7 and we get to the draw given above. However...} 10. Qc6+ {...if White had played this instead. (check all checks)} 10... Qd7 11. Qxa8+ {It is checkmate next move.}

And now as promised a genuine mate from an old date.

J. Sarratt - Not Known, London, 1818.

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Bf5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. f3 Nb4 {Again we see this attack on c2...and later we will see again on c7.} 5. e4 dxe4 6. fxe4 {Black next two moves constitute the great retreat.} 6... Bg6 7. a3 Nc6 8. Bb5 {With d5 coming on the next move.} 8... a6 9. d5 {A bit of a gamble. Black can play their way out of what happens.} 9... axb5 10. Nxb5 {Now 10...e5 and Black is doing OK.} 10... Na5 {After this White is in full command.} 11. Nxc7+ {What is instructive is White does take the a8 Rook. They want the Black King.} 11... Kd7 12. Qg4+ e6 13. dxe6+ Ke7 14. Qg5+ f6 {The same thing happens on 14...Nf6.} 15. Qc5+ Qd6 16. Qxd6 {Checkmate.}

The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 186970

Missing the Morphy Pattern.

The Planet Greenpawn

Missing the Morphy Pattern.

Posted to The Planet Greenpawn

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