RHP Championship 2012 Report 3 - The Stats

[FEN "q4r2/6kp/p4pp1/2Q5/8/3P1n1P/PPP2P2/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1"]
{White is in check. First I’ll show you a pattern, an idea that will save you ½ a point in the future. There is another one of these patterns further down in another game.} 1. Kh1 {Looks OK for White but the Queen and Knight can set up a perpetual.} 1... Qb8 {Threatening mate on h2.} 2. Kg2 Nh4+ 3. Kh1 Nf3 4. Kg2 Nh4+ 5. Kg1 Nf3+ 6. Kg2 Nh4+ {You get the idea.}

[FEN "q4r2/6kp/p4pp1/2Q5/8/3P1n1P/PPP2P2/3R1RK1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Kg2 {White stepped into the Double Check.} 1... Nh4+ {OK Black is on the correct path.} 2. Kg3 {Now Black should play 2...Qf3+ 3.Kxh4 Qf4 Checkmate. Instead we saw....} 2... g5 {Allowing White a check and thus saving the game.} 3. Qe7+ Kg6 {The worst square he could have chosen. 3...Kh8 4.Qe4 and White is ahead. 4...Qb8+ 5.f4 is safe but Black would still have a few tricks left.} 4. Qe4+ {But now the Queens come off. White went onto to win.}

1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5 {Playable but not advisable. 2...exd4 and if 3.c3 then 3...d5 is the common way. White's coming reply is best.}
3. dxe5 Qh4 {So the Queen is to capture back the pawn. Interesting....}
4. exd5 Qe4+ 5. Be3 Bg4 {Looking for the pawn fork 6.f3 Qxe3+}
6. Nf3 Qb4+ 7. Nc3 Qxb2 {Black is breaking all the opening principles. These Queen moves will return to torment Black.}
8. Bd2 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Nd7 10. Rb1 Qa3 {Now 11.Nb5 and Nxc7+ followed by Nxa8 was the way to go.}
11. Rxb7 {OK but a slight indication that White is not going to tactically punish Black,}
11... Nxe5 12. Rxc7 Bd6 13. Rb7 Kf8 {Freeing e8 for the Rook. Black's mindset is attack, attack, attack.}
14. f4 Ng6 15. Nb5 Re8+ 16. Be2 Qf3 {Now a disaster for White. He goes for the mate on f7. He can actually castle (see next game.)}
17. Nxd6 Qxh1+ {I never expected this when I saw the first 10 moves. White had the chance. (11.Nb5) but missed it.}

[FEN "4rknr/pR3ppp/3b2n1/1N1P4/5P2/5q2/P1PBBP1P/3QK2R w K - 0 1"]

1. O-O Rxe2 {Now 2.Nxd6 and Black has a perpetual with Qg4+ and Qf3+ instead. I just have to show you this. It's good to take a fantasy trip every now and then and Planet Greenpawn is the place to show them.}
2. Qxe2 Qxe2 3. Re1 Qxd2 {And why not thinks Black, White is just giving his pieces away.}
4. Rxf7+ {Black thinks White has gone potty. He must be playing for stalemate. Far from it. Black is doomed.}
4... Kxf7 5. Nxd6+ {Not 5....Kf8 6.Re8 mate.}
5... Kf6 {And......}
6. Re6 {...Checkmate. Now that would have been a great finish.}

[FEN "5knr/pR3ppp/3b2n1/1N1P4/8/8/P1Pq1P1P/4R1K1 w - - 0 1"]

1. Re8+ Kxe8 3. Nxd6+ {2....Kf8 3.Rxf7 s checkmate so....}
2... Kd8 3. Nxf7+ Kc8 4. Nd6+ Kd8 5. Nf7+ Ke8 6. Nd6+ Kd8 7. Nf7+ {etc...etc...etc...}

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bc5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Be2 O-O 5. h3 {Pointless.}
5... b6 {Why not 5...d5. The text just gives White a chance to get back into the opening.}
6. Bf3 c6 7. Ne4 {This time it is White who misses d4.}
7... Nxe4 8. Bxe4 d5 {Excellent. Black is on top.}
9. cxd5 cxd5 {White now adopts the no retreat policy.}
10. Bxh7+ Kxh7 11. Qh5+ Kg8 12. Qxe5 {For the piece White has two pawns and a lost game. Black should now simply play 12...Nc6 and if 13.Qc3 d4! or 13.Qg3 Nb4 instead...}
12... f6 {Not a serious blunder but why move a pawn that weakens the King's position (this move returns to haunt Black) when there is a piece on b8 doing nothing.}
13. Qh5 Nc6 14. Nf3 {Here comes some help for the White Queen. It is enough to panic Black.}
14... Qe7 {Drifting, simply making legal moves. 14...Ba6 preventing castling was a shot.}
15. Nh4 Ne5 16. O-O Nf7 {Black is seeing ghosts. I'm afraid to say it's gets worse.}
17. Ng6 {Of course. Now the threat of Qh8 (which is not a threat. The f7 Knight is preventing Qh8) takes over. To be sure Black prevents Qh8 forever....}
17... Nh6 {The Queen is left hanging out to dry (remember those sill pawn moves (5...b6 and 12...f6....watch this.)}
18. Nxe7+ Bxe7 19. Qxd5+ Nf7 20. Qxa8 Ba6 21. Qxa7 Bxf1 22. Qxe7 Bd3 23. Qd7 Bc4 24. Qc6 {Black has seen enough and resigned. White can even give up his Queen for the Rook and win this with ease.}

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qc3 Bb4

1. e4 c5 2. c4 {Logical. It does prevent Black from getting in d5 ,the Sicilian dream. However against simple development it should not present Black with any opening problems. Black now sets a positional trap.}
2... g6 3. d4 {To which White succumbs. The hit on the h8 Rook was too hard to resist.}
3... cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nf6 5. e5 {Another tempting move White should have declined.}
5... Nc6 {Having strolled into a positional trap this in between hit on the Queen and the e-pawn sets up White for a tactical trap.}
6. Qc3 e6 {One of the most blatant traps seen on RHP.}
7. exf6 Bb4 {And it worked. 1-0}

[Event "Game from non-PGN file"]
[Site "END-CFB10B3985E"]
[Date "2012.02.18"]
[Round "-"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 c5 4. dxc5 Qa5+ {Black refrains from 5…dxc5. his plan is to keep the Queens on.}
5. Nc3 Qxc5 6. Be3 Qc6 7. Bb5 Qxb5 {We witness the end of the 4 move plan to keep the Queens on.}
8. Nxb5 Nf6 9. Nxe5 {Alert and instructive. Nc7+ and taking the a8 Rook would have been to vulgar too contemplate.}
9... dxe5 10. Nc7+ Ke7 11. Bc5+ {A delightful checkmate.}

1. f4 {If you are going to try this opening (Bird's Opening) then be ready for 1...e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 which is pretty sharp for Black. Perhaps best is to ignore the pawn and play 2.e4.}
1... d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 Nc6 4. Bb5 {Usually in this opening this piece goes to e2 or g2. Nothing wrong with 4.Bb5 and the coming exchange. White's grip on e5 will go unchallenged without the c6 Knight. It all depends on how Black reacts.}
4... a6 {Understandable at this level (1500) Ne5 was a potential threat. Both sides can be happy with the coming exchange.}
5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. b3 {Blunts the ½ open b-file and the Bishop looks good on this diagonal.}
6... Bg4 7. O-O e6 8. Bb2 Be7 9. d3 O-O 10. Nbd2 Qd7 11. Qe1 c5 12. Qg3 {Threatening 13.Ne5}
12... Bxf3 13. Nxf3 {White's position is comfortable and his pieces fit in well with his pawns. Black tries a minor demonstration on the Queenside.}
13... a5 14. Ne5 Qd6 {White now goes for an open centre. A bit too hasty. He can pass with 15.a4 or 15 Kh1 (always a handy move if the f-pawn has been pushed.) But with the Black Queen sitting on a potential open file then it was hard to resist.}
15. c4 dxc4 {This capture was not forced though I fear it may have been automatic. Central pawn swaps do need careful handling. How about 15…a4. Get White’s eyes off the Black King.}16. dxc4 {White had to take back with the b-pawn, though Black misses his chance to exploit this. Taking back with the d-pawn was White’s intention when he played 15.c4. }
16... Ne4 {This is why I'm thinking White would have been better with a pawn in d3.}
17. Qg4 {Now 17...f5 and the Knight is on e4 forever. It's hard to win against such Knights - It's hard to lose if you have such Knights. Also 17...Qd2 is a move here. Chances must be equal at this level with either move.}
17... Nf6 {Black is in defensive mode. He can only see nasty things coming along that a1-h8 diagonal.}
18. Qh3 h6 {Why? Suddenly White has g4-g5 options. Black missed his chance at getting into the game and now White's next few moves are obvious.}
19. Rad1 Qb6 {Black is setting himself up beautifully for White.}
20. Qg3 Rad8 21. Nd7 {A move Black thought he had just prevented. Black should now settle for a loss of the exchange with 21...Rxd7}
21... Qc6 22. Nxf6+ {The piece cannot be taken. Black could have resigned here.}
22... Kh8 23. Rxd8 {23.Nd5 was another way. The text gives of a pretty idea.}
23... Rxd8 24. Ne8 {An excellent and spot on move. It prevents Rg8 as a defence. Now Black resigned. Good Game.}

[FEN "r4rk1/3p1p2/7R/pp1p2q1/4P3/2Q5/PPP1N1PP/R5K1 w - - 0 1"]
1. Rh8 {That mating move was Timmy’s 25,000th move on RHP. He had other games on the go and was setting up mates all over the place trying to make this landmark a checkmate. He succeeded. Well done Timmy….you really do need a girlfriend.}