RHP Championship - Stats Drastic + The Duffers Attack

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nxe5 Nc6 {A tricky move. Theory and best is 3..Qf6. I played 2..Nc6 v the GM Jacob Aagaard and got a draw. Best is 4.Nxc6 and 5.d4 which Jacob said he forgot to play. } 4. Qh5+ {Almost always played. I have some nice OTB wins as Black with this.} 4... g6 5. Nxg6 Nf6 {Now 6.Qh4 or 6.Qh3 are the moves.} 6. Qg5 {You would be surprise how many times I've seen this in Blitz. It losses a piece when Black plays...} 6... Rg8 7. Qxf5 Rxg6 8. d3 d6 {Why not 8...d5 and hit the Queen. By playing 8..d6 perhaps Black was thinking about playing Nc6-e5 a protected square. How many times have I mentioned that pieces on unprotected squares are sitting ducks for combinations.} 9. Qf4 {Well that is the end of that game. 9...Bh6 0-1.} 9... Nd4 {He missed it. Need to sharpen up your basic tactics mate, especially if you want to be a Latvian Gambiteer. (that was a piece winning skewer you just missed)} 10. Na3 {Bh6 is not so good now that c1 Bishop is protected.} 10... Ng4 {Black is threading together a Queen winning net.} 11. f3 Ne5 {See note after move 6. OK I got it slightly wrong, the King's Knight is using this square. Now Bh6 is a Queen winner.} 12. c3 Bh6 {There she goes.} 13. Qg3 Rxg3 14. cxd4 {Not a bad try. Black has so many bits hanging he may panic.} 14... Nxf3+ 15. gxf3 Rxf3 {No panic here. The White King will be feeling uneasy. Note 16.Bxh6 meets 16...Qh4+} 16. Be2 Qh4+ 17. Kd1 Bg4 {This is good. Black is willing to give back some mathematical material to hound the White King.} 18. Rg1 O-O-O {I cannot argue with castles. But I hope 18...Rxd3+ was at least examined.} 19. Bxh6 Rxd3+ 20. Kc2 Bxe2 21. Bg5 {A Bishop fork, Black ignores it.} 21... Qxe4 22. Bxd8 Rxd4+ {This must checkmate in a few.} 23. Kc1 Qe3+ 24. Kc2 Qd3+ 25. Kc1 Qd2+ {Mate next move . (White resigned here.)} 26. Kb1 Bd3+

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 {This is an ungraceful way of holding onto the pawn. Best to let it go and get on with your development. 3...Nf6.} 4. Qa4+ {That cannot be right. Black plays what he was most likely going to play anyway.} 4... c6 5. Nd2 b5 6. Qc2 {Black is doing a good job of holding is extra pawn but that e6 Bishop is holding up his development.} 6... g6 7. a4 {White sets about in standard fashion softening up that Black pain chain.} 7... a6 8. axb5 cxb5 9. b3 cxb3 10. Nxb3 {White now has a trick very common in this opening. Black could have prevented it with 10...Nd7} 10... Nf6 11. Bxb5+ {Very good. Or is it? 11...axb5 12.Rxa1 Bd5 hitting g2 and the h1 Rook and the a8 Rook. Then looks messy for both sides. I wonder if White saw that one. Looks like Black never saw it.} 11... Bd7 12. Bxd7+ {White is happy, he has won back his pawn and...} 12... Qxd7 13. Nf3 {...carries on with development. Black should copy the White idea of catching up with the Big 'D' play Bg7 and 0-0.} 13... Qb5 {OOPS! was this to stop White castling or was he worried about White playing Nc5. White can now play 14.Qc8 Checkmate.} 14. Rb1 {He missed it. He is now a member of the ‘Missed Mate in One Club.} 14... e6 15. Qc8+ {Now he sees it.} 15... Ke7 16. Ba3+ {Black resigned - it's mate in two.}

[FEN "r3n3/pq3rpk/2p1pnNp/1p6/2P1P3/6BP/PPPRQPP1/2KR4 w - - 0 20"]

20. Ne5 Rf8 21. Nd7 {This move gets a Rook on the 7th rank. Such Rooks are very often game winners.} 21... Nxd7 22. Rxd7 Qa6 23. Be5 {This hit on g7 could have been ignored. The e8 Knight was holding it. But Black wants to kick the 7th rank Rook.} 23... Nf6 24. Qg4 {Well spotted - Here the Rook on the 7th is worth a Queen. Black might as well take it. Rg8 it stumped by Bxf6.} 24... Nxg4 25. Rxg7+ Kh8 26. Rxg4+ Kh7 27. Rd7+ Rf7 28. Rxf7 {Checkmate. Good play there Sir. Thank You}

[FEN "r1b1r1k1/pppp1p1p/5RpB/4n1N1/4P3/2N5/PPP3PP/R6K w - - 0 15"]

15. Raf1 a5 16. Nd5 Ra6 {With every White piece hovering around the Black King something has to give. It’s here you start to look for the combinations, never be afraid to invest material when attacking Kings. } 17. Rxf7 Nxf7 18. Rxf7 Rae6 19. Rg7+ {Kh8 and Nf7 mate - we see a mirror version of the same mate.} 19... Kf8 20. Nxh7

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 h6 {Don't do this. 3...Nf6 and look at the next game to see what to do if they play 4.Ng5.} 4. Nc3 d6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 {Well done Black you succeeded in developing the White pieces for him.} 7... Be7 {I can see the idea but you must watch your f7 square.} 8. Qxg7 Bf6 {And f7 falls.} 9. Qxf7 1-0

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 {Called a 'Duffers Move' by Tarrasch. It's not. GM have played it v GM's.} 4... d5 {The best reply.} 5. exd5 {Now not 5...Nxd4 inviting The Fried Liver attack starting with 6.Nxf7 and Qf3+ but this move.} 5... Nd4 6. d6 {A move hard to resist. Best is 6.c3 and Black answers this 6...b5. It is known as the Fritz variation (named after a player not the silly chess program) If you want to make this your mainline defence to the Duffers Attack then go ahead, it's full of tricks so do a bit of research on it.} 6... Qxd6 7. Nxf7 {This Knight fork is another hard to resist move. 7.Bxf7+ is looked at next.} 7... Qc6 {Hitting the loose Bishop on c4.} 8. Nxh8 {Trading a Bishop for a Rook is usually deemed a good move except here.....} 8... Qxg2 {Black is not chasing scaffy Bishops. Black is chasing Kings.} 9. Rf1 Qe4+ 10. Be2 Nf3# {White has been checkmated. 20+ victims on RHP alone.}

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Nd4 6. d6 Qxd6 7. Bxf7+ Ke7 {The threat is now h6 winning a piece. If now 8.Bc4 (it's been played) 8...Qc6 hitting it and the g2 pawn again.} 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 h6 10. Nf3 e4 11. Nh4 {This threatens a fork check on g6 so...} 11... Kf7 {Now g5 by Black wins the Knight.} 12. g3 {Giving the Knight a sanctuary on g2.} 12... g5 13. Ng2 Bg4 {But no sanctuary for the White Queen. She is lost.} 14. f3 {White does not believe it.} 14... Bxf3 {Believe it, the White Queen is lost.}