These are my lucky chess socks, I’ve been wearing them since 1972.
Thought I’d check out this chess book. (pun intended.)
A good name for a chess player that ................Daniel.
It’s OK but a bit dry and tepid. I think the word I’m looking for is ‘joyless.’
This position. on page 24 is an example. Danny (can I call him Danny?)
asks the reader what would they play as Black here giving four choices
(a) 1...e6 (b) 1...dxc4 (c) 1....Qa5+ (d) 1...Ne4. The answers are:
(a) 1...e6 is best as if prepares Be7 and castles. OK fair enough.
(b) 1...dxc4 Playable but White simply plays 2.Bxc4. Black’s development lags.
Yes but how about a few more moves to show the dangers of a Bishop on c4.
Ed Bernheim - Paul0 RHP 2004 continued after Bxc4
[FEN "rn1qkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/8/2BP2b1/4PN2/PP3PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 6"]
6. Ne5 Bxd1 7. Bxf7 {In the introduction when Danny was showing how chess notation works he uses Legall’s Mate as the example. Here was a chance to show it again.}
And of course (c)...Qa5+ is given the thumbs down but from the above position
XanthosNZ - krazyken RHP 2005
[FEN "rn1qkb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/8/2BP2b1/4PN2/PP3PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 6"]
6. Ne5 {Better is Bxf7+ and Ne5+ or even Qb3.} 6... Qa5+ {Here the Queen check on a5 is probably best.} 7. Bd2 Qxe5 8. dxe5 Bxd1 9. exf6 Bc2 10. fxe7 Bxe7 {This is level. I'll play on to show how Black lost this with a very common blunder.} 11. Bc3 O-O 12. Na3 Bxa3 13. bxa3 Nd7 14. Rc1 Be4 15. O-O Rad8 16. Rfd1 Nb6 17. Bb3 Nd5 18. Bb2 {Whites shattered pawns give Black the tiniest edge. White's two Bishops are compensation.} 18... Rd6 {And there is the Blunder. Black has moved the Rook to an undefended square.} 19. f3 {The Bishop moves then e4 and a piece is lost. Black resigned a few moves later.}
As I mentioned back here.
(c) 1...Qa5+ is frowned upon by Danny who says White blocks with 2. Bd2
and the Queen must retreat straight away. But here was a chance to instruct.
[FEN "rnb1kb1r/pp2pppp/2p2n2/q2p4/2PP4/4PN2/PP3PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq - 0 5"]
5. Bd2 {And if the Queen retreats to...} 5... Qb6 6. c5 {An opportunity to show the dangers of pawn grabbing (especially taking the QNP with a Queen.)} 6... Qxb2 7. Bc3 {The Queen is trapped. You show that one and the lesson sinks in.}
Queens do get trapped this way in actual games between players this book is aimed at.
tharg - Motividan, RHP 2011
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Qa5+ 4. Bd2 Qb6 5. dxc5 Qxb2 6. Bc3
Of course I’m just have a grumble because I know Danny can do better than this.
His ‘How Good is Your Chess’ feature in CHESS is often excellent (and in some
issues it is the best feature of the magazine.) He is writing for the more advanced
player in that column but I feel it is important to write even better for the beginner
to the game, for which this book is clearly intended, to inspire and lure them into
this game. Instead this one reads like a plain text book with no or little enthusiasm
From the sentence below find four GM’s all with four lettered names.
“Adieu wee retired people finely going iridescent.”
Clue: It’s is the same four players I’ve being using for the last 5 weeks.
The (so called ) Instructive Bit.
A game of mine recently played in the ‘Mikelom Memorial Tournament’
greenpawn - kinggg2 RHP 2016.
1. e4 e6 2. Nf3 {Signalling a favourite opening plan of mine that I have used OTB for many years.} 2... d5 3. e5 c5 {A natural and good response.} 4. b4 {The French Wing Gambit.} 4... b6 {Playable the drawback is as I have found out in other games is c6 is weak. This might seem trivial but it matters.} 5. d4 {I've played this in the past so why not again. I know 5...cxd4 leads to all kinds of fun but this move....} 5... cxb4 {..looks OK.} 6. a3 bxa3 7. Bxa3 Bxa3 8. Rxa3 {We are now in the mainline of the French Wing Gambit except b6 has been played.} 8... Ne7 9. Bd3 {9...0-0 10. Bxh7+ wins. Trust me on this I've had it a few times OTB and on the net in blitz games.} 9... h6 10. O-O O-O {OK I’m castled...he’s castled...let the fun begin.} 11. Ng5 {What happens should Black take this Knight is in the next analysis game.} 11... Nbc6 {Probably the best move but it has one good and one bad point (see later). Now I could slink back with 12.Nf3} 12. Nh7 {But I never retreat.} 12... Re8 {It's Tally Ho Time.} 13. Nf6+ gxf6 14. Qh5 f5 15. Bb5 {There is the c6 weakness I mentioned earlier. Black has no time for Ng6 as the c6 Knight hangs.} 15... Bd7 16. Rg3+ Ng6 17. Rxg6+ fxg6 18. Qxg6+ Kh8 19. Qxh6+ {Draw agreed....½-½. I could have played on for a few moves just to see if Black tries to get out of the perpetual.} 19... Kg8 20. Qg6+ Kf8 21. Qh6+ Ke7 22. Qg7 {But that was never going to happen.}
What happens if Black takes the Knight on move 11.
[FEN "rnbq1rk1/p3npp1/1p2p2p/3pP3/3P4/R2B1N2/2P2PPP/1N1Q1RK1 w - - 0 11"]
11. Ng5 {Here Black takes the Knight.} 11... hxg5 12. Bh7+ Kxh7 13. Rh3+ {Do this Rook check first. Black might....a big might, but live in hope, play 13...Kg6 14.Qh5+ mates Black.. Always give your opponent room to go wrong.} 13... Kg8 14. Qh5 f6 {Forced...or f5 the answer is the same.} 15. exf6 Ng6 {Again the best move. Rxf6 loses the Queen to Qh8+. The good point about playing Nc6 in the previous game was the d8 Black Queen is protected.} 16. Qh7+ {All the rest is forced.} 16... Kf7 17. Qxg7+ Ke8 18. Qxg6+ Kd7 19. Rh7+ {...Kd6 (Qxg4) or...Kc6 (c4) White is having a ball. French players do like the Kings kicked about like this.} 1/2-1/2
Just to show it’s not only us that are filling up the Hall of Doom.
Mark Rich - Jonathan Rowson, Armageddon play off final 2009
Black has just played Rf3-e3
White thought for 18 seconds before playing Rf2 and went onto lose.
The move Rd4 checkmate in one move was missed by both players.
We have a theme for this weeks Hall of Doom Entries. Rook and Bishop Mates.
stev0o - ceecee RHP 2012
[FEN "3r2k1/5ppp/p3r3/P7/1P6/2P4R/3BbPPP/4R1K1 w - - 0 27"]
27. Be3 Rd3 {White is two pawns up so decides to chop some wood. A good plan if you can get away with it.} 28. Bd4 Rxh3 {Unfortunately this plan chops his head off.} 29. gxh3 Rg6+ 30. Kh1 Bf3 {Checkmate.}
Again an eagerness to trade pieces is the culprit.
gdlk - Billtong358 RHP2011
[FEN "1r3k2/1B3p1p/8/p5R1/P1b3p1/4P1P1/3r1PKP/5R2 w - - 0 31"]
31. Rc1 Bd3 {White's best is now Bd5 and although Black has Rbb2 White can fight on with Rxg4} 32. Rc8+ Rxc8 33. Bxc8 {It is now mate in three.} 33... Be4+ 34. Kf1 Rd1+ 35. Ke2 Bf3 {Watch out for the Bishop and Rook patterns, they are always lurking.}
Next we see a new version of Black playing helpmate/selfmate chess.
Sidekicks - scottking RHP 2014
[FEN "7r/7p/p1k2p2/4p3/P1Pbn2p/8/6PP/RRB2K2 w - - 0 27"]
27. Ra2 {Ra3 would have avoided.....} 27... Nc3 {...the Knight Fork.} 28. Rab2 Nxb1 29. Rxb1 Kc5 30. Ke2 {Why Black never took the c4 pawn is beyond me. It would have stopped what happened next.} 30... Rc8 31. Kd3 Rc6 {Possibly with a Rb6 ideas challenging the only open file. f5 or Rg8 look better moves. The Rook on c6 blocks a flight square.} 32. Ba3 {Checkmate.}
Black gave White a huge clue about what he what he was trying to do.
Queenmouse - zspears RHP 2014
[FEN "8/7p/3N4/3kBp2/PP1Pr2b/2PKp2P/r7/7R w - - 0 34"]
34. Nxe4 fxe4+ 35. Kxe3 Bg5+ {Checkmate!} 36. Bf4 {No it’s not.} 36... Bh4 {OK I'll try again.} 37. a5 {White protects a pawn. Rh2 answering Rxa4 with Rc2 and c4+ would have probably seen home the win.} 37... Bf2 {This time it is checkmate.}
This one is good. Black tries to ease the pain with exchanges.
whiterook220 - apsol 2014
[FEN "1rb2rk1/1pqpb1pp/p4n2/4pP2/3N4/2N1QBP1/PPP4P/2KR3R w - - 0 18"]
18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5+ Kh8 20. g4 {Now d6 or Bc5 and Black can wriggle. But after....} 20... exd4 21. Qxe7 Qd8 {Black is all gummed up.} 22. Qd6 Ra8 23. Rxd4 {And now a pawn down.} 23... Qg5+ 24. Kb1 {Black may have intended Rf6 here but then noticed Qe7 puts him all kinds of trouble.} 24... Qf6 25. Qxf6 Rxf6 {gxf6 though unpalatable would have stopped what happens next.} 26. Re1 Rf8 27. Rde4 h6 {I now have luft...do you your worst.} 28. Re8 Rxe8 29. Rxe8+ Kh7 30. Bg8+ Kh8 31. Bf7+ Kh7 32. Bg6 {Checkmate. Cannot get much worse than that.}
Finally....A sister game to one above.
veca - Igwiz RHP 2011
Every move is perfectly natural it’s there but for grace of God go I game.
[FEN "r1b1k2r/pp1p1ppp/2n5/2qnP3/8/P1N2NP1/1P2Q1BP/R4RK1 w kq - 0 15"]
15. Qf2 Qxf2+ 16. Kxf2 Nxc3 17. bxc3 O-O 18. Rfe1 f6 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Kg1 Re6 21. Nd4 Nxd4 22. cxd4 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Kf8 24. Be4 {Black could now play g6, untangle his Queenside and try somehow to make the extra pawn work.} 24... h6 {Another example of a player holding a pawn and losing a King.} 25. Bg6 {Black cannot do nothing to prevent Re8 mate.}
Puzzle Solution
“adiEU WEe RETIred people FINEly goinG IRIdescent.”
If you have anything to say or add then please use
Thread 168968 
Yes. 2.Bxc4. Corrected. Thanks
(b) 1...dxc4 Playable but White simply plays 2.Bc4.
Should it be: 2. Bxc4 (no?)