Rain + c3 Sicilian + The Chess Magazine
By 24 Jun 12 on
5247 views | 4 edits | Last edit on 10 Sep 23
Hi Chaps.
Rain, Rain, Rain.
I used to think we British loved talking about the weather because it always changes.
Well it has not changed at all for the past week and all we have been talking is the
weather. Rain, Rain, Rain and Rain Again.
Apparently all rainfall records have been broken since rainfall records began.
I want to know who started keeping records of rainfall and how did they do it?
“Where are you going Dear, it’s raining?”
“I’m going outside to measure how much rain has fallen.”
And just how do they do that?
Do they have a special machine that counts how many raindrops hit the ground.
I doubt it. These rainfall records are all phoney.
Anyway. Having spent £20 on a ticket for the Royal Highland Show a little bit
of rain was not going to stop me from getting my £20’s worth.
I spent whole the day dodging people trying to remove an eye with their umbrellas
and got soaked. Good fun.
In the previous Planet Greenpawn I was discussing this position.
White to play.
We looked at 1.Bb3 exe4 2.Qxd8+
HikaruShindo asked in Thread 147126 why White cannot win the
Black Queen with 2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qxd8.
The answer being that 2.Bxf7+ does not win the Queen, it losses a piece.
2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qxd8 Rxd8
I explained this was my fault for not spotting that perhaps someone
may go for this Queen winning idea. Here is poorly played example
Micawber - louisXIV RHP 2008
Getting the balance right in what to mention and what to leave out is often difficult.
As I also replied in the above thread it is very common for writers (especially modern
writers.) to assume their readers are as good as them and seldom write beneath them.
Though the above example is fairly basic a reader fell for it.
I’m glad he replied as it does help me to put my feet back on the ground.
Examples of modern writers skipping bits are everywhere.
The latest CHESS. June 2012.
Has such an example on page 41.
New Ideas in the C3 Sicilian by GM Alexander Cherniaev.
So let’s have a look at this new idea.
A. Cherniaev - A. Fier, Geneva Open 2011
Back here.
There is a White e-pawn hanging. Black never took it. What is going on?
Now if I’m going to face this new idea what happens if Black does not play 9…d5.
Now your Cherniaev of this world may just shrug their rounded shoulders and say
“But 9…d5 is the best move. It is a justification for having a Knight on b6.”
(Black Knights on b6 are often misplaced.). Also:
“When Black plays d5 it sometimes losses it’s bite if there is not a White pawn on e4 or e5.”
Then we also note that Cherniaev’s opponent, Fier, started this by playing 4…Nb6.
So in his pre-game preparation he must have looked at taking the e-pawn.
(well you would hope so.)
But your truly won’t be playing the Cherniaevs or Fiers of this world.
I’ll be playing Mr Pawn Grabber and if I’m expected to sac my e-pawn I had
better have a look at it now instead of trying to dig it out OTB.
This leads to me to what I think is a common error.
Weaker players looking at GM openings, memorising the moves and then
expecting 1500 players to play what a GM played.
This rarely happens. If you are studying an opening then you must look at
the plausible moves your may face.
At the lower levels your chief task will be avoiding and spotting blunders that
would never appear on a GM board.
OK it’s work time. Cherniaev and Fier and has led me he here.
What happens if Black chops the e-pawn.
These days the lads will switch on a Fritz and look for the solutions.
Wrong again honey.
a) You should look for yourself to find a refutation
(check it if you must with a box, but this is not doing your confidence any good.)
b) Now instead of expecting a 1500 player to play GM moves you are expecting
a 1500 player to play like a Fritz. See the problem?
Before we continue, let’s offer some reasons why Cherniaev has not mentioned
the Black pawn steal in his notes..
1) He and his opponent missed it. (100% very unlikely.)
2) The refutation is so easy for him to see he left it out. (very possible.)
3) He mentioned it but the Editor cut it out. (Again a possibility.)
4) He saw it but does not want to show the ref (yet) he is saving that up
in case some lad plays it against him OTB. (I doubt it but it’s possible.)
OK enough of that, Black steals the e-pawn.
On the same theme.
Sam The Sham - generationnexus RHP 2007
But what about 9…Bxe5.
A move I cannot see your average player playing. Giving up your Black fianchetto
Bishop for a pawn is against their rule of thumb. But you never know.
So what happen in the actual A. Cherniaev - A. Fier game.
It was a draw, I have not yet got around to playing it out. I spent ages having
fun poking about the position after the pawn steal.
Let us see what Endgame Ernie has for us this week.
Hi Gang.
I’ve been looking through the latest CHESS that Duck gave me.
(It’s my mag, I lent it to the Duck……greenpawn.)
There are two smashing endgame studies/problems on page 49.
A.W. Galitzky composed in 1900.
White to play and mate in 4 moves.
The solution is coming up below. Stop here if you want to solve it.
The next one is also by A.W. Galitzky composed in 1897.
White to play and mate in three moves.
We stay with this one and look at a good attempt to solve it.
In all attempts to solve the second study with a Rook move allow Black to
move the e8 Knight and give a check. So first we cut out the check.
The solution.
The solution to the first Galitzky problem.
OK let us talk to the Duck.
Hi did you see that chump greenpawn writing himself into a hole trying to find
a clean tactical refutation to that pawn steal. He spent ages hacking away at
his board looking for what the GM’s had seen. He got nothing. What a loser.
I’ve been reading my CHESS magazine….
and…
(OK Duck…..I got you on 33b……greenpawn.)
A 33b? What’s a 33b?
(Insults and theft…Glasses off and uncool t-shirt for you…greenpawn.)
Greenpawn’s magazine (he buys chess mags….what a dribble.) has a short game
containing an incredible OTB blunder from a good player played in a National Championship.
The fact these things happen OTB is a lesson in itself.
A. Stripunsky - A.Onischuk US Championship 2012.
Of course RHP has many examples of the same blunder.
sabra - elhamlalila RHP 2007
There is even one in the 2012 RHP Championship.
achilles9533 - Oleander29 RHP Ch 2012
Thank you Duck.
Finally. A thought provoking game with the usual RHP mixture of blunders,
unsound sacs, bad defending and missed chances.
Red House - friis76 RHP Ch 2012.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 147243
…It’s raining again.
Rain, Rain, Rain.
I used to think we British loved talking about the weather because it always changes.
Well it has not changed at all for the past week and all we have been talking is the
weather. Rain, Rain, Rain and Rain Again.
Apparently all rainfall records have been broken since rainfall records began.
I want to know who started keeping records of rainfall and how did they do it?
“Where are you going Dear, it’s raining?”
“I’m going outside to measure how much rain has fallen.”
And just how do they do that?
Do they have a special machine that counts how many raindrops hit the ground.
I doubt it. These rainfall records are all phoney.
Anyway. Having spent £20 on a ticket for the Royal Highland Show a little bit
of rain was not going to stop me from getting my £20’s worth.
I spent whole the day dodging people trying to remove an eye with their umbrellas
and got soaked. Good fun.
In the previous Planet Greenpawn I was discussing this position.
White to play.
We looked at 1.Bb3 exe4 2.Qxd8+
HikaruShindo asked in Thread 147126 why White cannot win the
Black Queen with 2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qxd8.
The answer being that 2.Bxf7+ does not win the Queen, it losses a piece.
2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qxd8 Rxd8
I explained this was my fault for not spotting that perhaps someone
may go for this Queen winning idea. Here is poorly played example
Micawber - louisXIV RHP 2008
Getting the balance right in what to mention and what to leave out is often difficult.
As I also replied in the above thread it is very common for writers (especially modern
writers.) to assume their readers are as good as them and seldom write beneath them.
Though the above example is fairly basic a reader fell for it.
I’m glad he replied as it does help me to put my feet back on the ground.
Examples of modern writers skipping bits are everywhere.
The latest CHESS. June 2012.
Has such an example on page 41.
New Ideas in the C3 Sicilian by GM Alexander Cherniaev.
So let’s have a look at this new idea.
A. Cherniaev - A. Fier, Geneva Open 2011
Back here.
There is a White e-pawn hanging. Black never took it. What is going on?
Now if I’m going to face this new idea what happens if Black does not play 9…d5.
Now your Cherniaev of this world may just shrug their rounded shoulders and say
“But 9…d5 is the best move. It is a justification for having a Knight on b6.”
(Black Knights on b6 are often misplaced.). Also:
“When Black plays d5 it sometimes losses it’s bite if there is not a White pawn on e4 or e5.”
Then we also note that Cherniaev’s opponent, Fier, started this by playing 4…Nb6.
So in his pre-game preparation he must have looked at taking the e-pawn.
(well you would hope so.)
But your truly won’t be playing the Cherniaevs or Fiers of this world.
I’ll be playing Mr Pawn Grabber and if I’m expected to sac my e-pawn I had
better have a look at it now instead of trying to dig it out OTB.
This leads to me to what I think is a common error.
Weaker players looking at GM openings, memorising the moves and then
expecting 1500 players to play what a GM played.
This rarely happens. If you are studying an opening then you must look at
the plausible moves your may face.
At the lower levels your chief task will be avoiding and spotting blunders that
would never appear on a GM board.
OK it’s work time. Cherniaev and Fier and has led me he here.
What happens if Black chops the e-pawn.
These days the lads will switch on a Fritz and look for the solutions.
Wrong again honey.
a) You should look for yourself to find a refutation
(check it if you must with a box, but this is not doing your confidence any good.)
b) Now instead of expecting a 1500 player to play GM moves you are expecting
a 1500 player to play like a Fritz. See the problem?
Before we continue, let’s offer some reasons why Cherniaev has not mentioned
the Black pawn steal in his notes..
1) He and his opponent missed it. (100% very unlikely.)
2) The refutation is so easy for him to see he left it out. (very possible.)
3) He mentioned it but the Editor cut it out. (Again a possibility.)
4) He saw it but does not want to show the ref (yet) he is saving that up
in case some lad plays it against him OTB. (I doubt it but it’s possible.)
OK enough of that, Black steals the e-pawn.
On the same theme.
Sam The Sham - generationnexus RHP 2007
But what about 9…Bxe5.
A move I cannot see your average player playing. Giving up your Black fianchetto
Bishop for a pawn is against their rule of thumb. But you never know.
So what happen in the actual A. Cherniaev - A. Fier game.
It was a draw, I have not yet got around to playing it out. I spent ages having
fun poking about the position after the pawn steal.
Let us see what Endgame Ernie has for us this week.
Hi Gang.
I’ve been looking through the latest CHESS that Duck gave me.
(It’s my mag, I lent it to the Duck……greenpawn.)
There are two smashing endgame studies/problems on page 49.
A.W. Galitzky composed in 1900.
White to play and mate in 4 moves.
The solution is coming up below. Stop here if you want to solve it.
The next one is also by A.W. Galitzky composed in 1897.
White to play and mate in three moves.
We stay with this one and look at a good attempt to solve it.
In all attempts to solve the second study with a Rook move allow Black to
move the e8 Knight and give a check. So first we cut out the check.
The solution.
The solution to the first Galitzky problem.
OK let us talk to the Duck.
Hi did you see that chump greenpawn writing himself into a hole trying to find
a clean tactical refutation to that pawn steal. He spent ages hacking away at
his board looking for what the GM’s had seen. He got nothing. What a loser.
I’ve been reading my CHESS magazine….
and…
(OK Duck…..I got you on 33b……greenpawn.)
A 33b? What’s a 33b?
(Insults and theft…Glasses off and uncool t-shirt for you…greenpawn.)
Greenpawn’s magazine (he buys chess mags….what a dribble.) has a short game
containing an incredible OTB blunder from a good player played in a National Championship.
The fact these things happen OTB is a lesson in itself.
A. Stripunsky - A.Onischuk US Championship 2012.
Of course RHP has many examples of the same blunder.
sabra - elhamlalila RHP 2007
There is even one in the 2012 RHP Championship.
achilles9533 - Oleander29 RHP Ch 2012
Thank you Duck.
Finally. A thought provoking game with the usual RHP mixture of blunders,
unsound sacs, bad defending and missed chances.
Red House - friis76 RHP Ch 2012.
The thread accompanying this blog is Thread 147243
…It’s raining again.
